1. Cover
2. Insert
3. Title Page
4. Copyright
5. Chapter 1: The Water Clan
6. Chapter 2: A Small Guest
7. Chapter 3: Brigitte’s Spirit
8. Chapter 4: Magical Beginnings
9. Chapter 5: Prince Charming
10. Chapter 6: A Love Close By
11. Chapter 7: The Spirit Awakens
12. Chapter 8: The Words She Never Heard
13. Exclusive Story: A Day in the Life of Peep
14. Afterword
15. Yen Newsletter

Brigitte Meidell, daughter of the Earl of Meidell, sat across from her waiting maid Sienna in a carriage trundling down the road.

The month-long summer holiday at the Otoleanna Academy of Magic had begun the week before, and Brigitte would have more chances than usual to leave her cottage this summer. She planned to follow up on invitations from her classmates Nival and Kira to spend time together during the break. And today—she was headed toward the Aurealis residence.

The home of the venerable Water Clan…to which Yuri belonged.

I wonder why he asked me to come…

Brigitte had narrowly lost to Yuri in their academic competition, and since they’d agreed that the loser had to do one thing the winner asked, he’d asked her to come to his house. But why had he chosen this as his request? He seemed to have a reason, but she still didn’t know what it was. She would simply have to find out once she got there.

C-calm down! Deep breaths, deep breaths…

She became so nervous every time she thought about it, she worried her heart would jump right out of her mouth. As she tried to focus, which was becoming a daily struggle, she reflected on recent events.

She didn’t want to receive a scolding for her visit upon her return, so she had asked the butler to notify her family—saying only that a friend and son of the Duke of Aurealis had invited her to the family residence. She had awaited their response without anticipation, and of course, all the butler relayed to her in reply was a dispassionate warning that she should “take care not to be impolite.”

She assumed her parents still had no interest whatsoever in her. To them, the fact that she’d ranked thirtieth in the written tests and second in the magic-stone hunt probably wasn’t even worth thinking about. After all, Brigitte didn’t have a spirit with a name. That was enough to leave her worthless in their eyes. She’d always known what their response would be, so she didn’t really care. She wasn’t going to get her hopes up now, after all these years.

What I’m really worried about…

She had something else on her mind.

“Let’s get engaged again. Will you make a fresh start with me, Brigitte?”

When Brigitte saw Joseph and spoke to him for the first time in what felt like ages, he had asked to try again. Ever since, the memory of those few seconds had replayed in her mind endlessly, and the incident made her wince every time.

She simply could not figure it out.

Not long ago, Joseph had mercilessly abandoned Brigitte, his fiancée of many years, because of what Lisa had said about her. So why was he raising the possibility of a new engagement now? She also had some questions for him about Lisa. But while she was frozen in shock, he’d told her with a smile that she could answer him the next time they met, then boarded his waiting carriage.

Since the summer holiday had begun immediately after that, she hadn’t had a chance to ask him what he meant. She was in a state of emotional confusion that was creating a strange burden on her heart. In the past, Joseph was the only person she felt she could be honest with. But now that he’d ended their engagement without so much as asking her opinion, that innocent adoration was gone.

But Sienna saw right through her attempts to appear calm. “Miss Brigitte, is something wrong?”

“…I-I’m only a little nervous. I’m fine.”

Brigitte would have liked to talk to someone about the situation with Joseph, but all the servants at the cottage seemed to despise him. She didn’t want to ignite their anger or worry them unnecessarily, so she shook her head.

“Well, you certainly look lovely today,” Sienna said, and she was so earnest about it that Brigitte felt a bit shy.

Brigitte was wearing light makeup and a vibrant orange short-sleeved dress. Her outfit’s elegant contours and wide hem were complemented by the single braid in her long red hair. She had wondered if she should dress more formally to visit a duke’s house, but Sienna had insisted on her present outfit.

“…Sienna, just to remind you one more time, I forbid you from asking Sir Yuri his thoughts on my clothes!”

“Then it’s all right to ask his impression of your overall appearance?”

“Absolutely not! Any questions about any impressions are forbidden!” Brigitte shouted.

Even Sienna had to agree to that, if reluctantly.

What a splendid gate…

After about fifteen minutes in the carriage, they arrived in the suburbs of the capital, where a magnificent mansion towered over them. The Earl of Meidell’s residence was far from humble, but the home of the elite Aurealis family was in a class of its own. A high wall surrounded the magnificent manor, painted white and blue. When they passed through the gate, they found themselves on a lane leading to the main house, lined with leafy green trees and babbling brooks as beautiful as a dream. What surprised Brigitte, however, was the glimpse she caught of a lake in the distance.

That’s a sight worthy of the famous Water Clan! Although perhaps it’s a bit much.

As she stuck her head out the window of the carriage to admire the landscape, the driver stopped the horses.

“You made it! Welcome Brigitte and Miss Sienna.”

Brigitte couldn’t believe her eyes as she stepped down from the carriage. Yuri himself had come out to greet them. By that point, she could hardly contain her anxiety.

“I-I’m honored you invited us,” she mumbled.

Yuri, who was dressed in street clothes rather than the uniform Brigitte was used to, held out his hand, and she nervously took it. He seemed used to serving as escort—which made sense, given his status as a duke’s son.

I wonder how many other girls’ hands he’s held like this…

The thought made her a little depressed.

Meanwhile, Yuri’s attendant, Clifford, was watching them and beaming. “Miss Brigitte, my master isn’t used to escorting ladies. What do you think of his first performance?”

“Clifford, please keep your comments to yourself,” Yuri said, clicking his tongue at his meddlesome attendant.

“My apologies,” he answered, still grinning unrepentantly as he stepped back.

Brigitte couldn’t help feeling happy to hear this. It meant Yuri had taken the time to practice escorting a lady, just for her.

Not noticing that Sienna and Clifford were watching her warmly, Brigitte smiled and said to Yuri, “S-so, Sir Yuri, what is your plan for today?”

After Yuri and Clifford bid Brigitte and Sienna good-bye, the girls left the Aurealis residence. As their carriage rolled slowly along the road at sunset, Sienna peered curiously at Brigitte from the seat facing hers.

“Did you enjoy yourself today, miss?” she asked.

“…I’m not sure…”

Brigitte didn’t know how to answer the simple small-talk question. After all, Yuri’s contracted spirit—the one who had invited her in the first place—had never appeared.

She had decided to take her leave before night fell, not wishing to be rude, but as she had stepped into the carriage, Yuri had looked as if he wanted to say something.

“What a day it was…”

Hesitantly, she told Sienna what had happened—although she kept secret certain things, such as her conversation with Yuri by the lakeside and how she had held his hand in the confusion of the moment. She was much too shy to tell Sienna such things.

When Brigitte finished, Sienna pressed a hand to her cheek. “A blue-haired child, and the duke’s third son, too?” she murmured. “All that happened after you ran away from the lake when you realized your slip of the tongue?”

“Yes… What?” Brigitte tilted her head, confused. That was odd… “Wait a second. How do you know that?”

“Because Clifford and I were spying on you, of course.”

“What?! Why?!”

“Because the young gentleman might have misbehaved, miss.”

Brigitte gripped her head. They had been watching?! What made them think they needed to?!

“Sir Yuri would never do something improper!”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure! He’s not even interested in me that way.”

He only thinks of me as his rival!

And that was enough for her—at least she was determined to think so.

She didn’t hear Sienna mutter, “For now.”

Presently, the carriage stopped at the Meidell residence’s back gate, which had been built to provide access to the cottage.

“Thank you, Mike,” Brigitte called to the driver. “I won’t be using the carriage anymore today.”

“Aye, miss.”

The good-natured, middle-aged driver nodded and guided the horses on to the cottage stable.

The Meidell’s main residence was located just beyond the front gate, while the cottage where Brigitte lived was hidden behind it. The buildings each had their own gate, stables, incinerator, and other facilities. Brigitte supposed it had been set up that way to hide her from outsiders and so that the residents of the main house would never have to see her. She wasn’t glad about it, but it did make her life less stressful.

I’m rather tired…

Brigitte was walking toward the front door of the cottage, imagining a hot bath, when—

“Hey!!”

She glanced back. To her shock, she saw the same blue-haired, blue-eyed child who had shoved her rear end earlier that day. They were standing with feet planted and cheeks puffed out sullenly, as insolent as before.

Sienna stepped protectively in front of Brigitte.

“Miss, is this…?”

“Yes! It’s the child I was telling you about!”

But how had they made it there? The child was small but not small enough to have hidden in the carriage without being noticed.

“We weren’t being followed by another carriage…,” Sienna whispered to her. Brigitte’s wary waiting maid had apparently been watching out for pursuers. Brigitte was grateful but now more mystified than ever. She gazed at the androgynous little face.

“Did you want to ask me something?” she asked.

“I told you, I have something to say to you. But you left without listening.”

Brigitte blinked in surprise. She thought this conversation had ended hours ago.

Wasn’t it the bit about me thinking I’d been invited over on a date?

Evidently, it wasn’t.

“You can’t properly use your spirit, can you?”

“…No, but…?”

“I know the reason. And I’ll teach you.”

Teach me…?

The word sounded odd in the small child’s mouth. As she wondered what to do, Sienna leaned over and whispered, “Miss, I think maybe…”

“…!”

That did make sense. It was very awkward to say, but Brigitte, as mistress of the cottage, had to ask directly.

“So this means…”

“What?”

“You ran away from home?”

“I— No!!” the child screamed, their face flushing.

“I see.” Brigitte nodded, all the more convinced.

The child must have been through so much, especially for one so young. After all, Brigitte had only been at the Aurealis residence half a day, and look how exhausted she was. Maybe the child’s homelife was full of hardship.

I still don’t know if they’re related to Yuri…

The child had been strutting around the mansion so confidently they could hardly be an intruder.

“If that’s the case, then no need to fret. You can stay here as long as you need to.”

“Hey! Stop mixing up the facts!”

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell Sir Yuri for a while.”

“I told you, I didn’t run away!!”

It was decided, then. Brigitte clasped her hands and said, “Let’s have something to eat first. My cooks are excellent.”

“…Food…”

The child pressed their stomach. They were probably too hungry to turn down her offer.

“What’s your name?” she asked.

“…I don’t have the kind of name I can tell you.”

The child refused to divulge anything.

Brigitte thought for a moment, then asked, “May I call you Blue?”

“…Do what you like.”

It was an obvious nickname, given the child’s hair and eye color, but she was relieved to have permission to use it. Caught up in the moment, she held out her hand, but the child refused to take it.

The next day, Brigitte was in her room with Sienna and Blue. The night before, Sienna had wiped Blue down with a cloth and let them sleep in her room. The child, who appeared to be around six or seven, was dressed in hand-me-downs from Carson. As for the aristocratic outfit Blue had arrived in, the servants had scrubbed it vigorously. By now it was probably hanging out to dry in the back garden. But judging from the way Blue was sitting on the bed and swinging their legs, the child didn’t care much about clothes.

Brigitte never had figured out the child’s gender, and since Sienna hadn’t said anything about it, she decided not to worry about it.

Early that morning, she had sent a letter to the House of Aurealis asking their thoughts on the runaway child. No doubt they were worried, but Blue would need time to think, so she had written that she would take responsibility for the child for the time being.

“Blue, about what you said yesterday…,” Brigitte began.

Her little visitor nodded solemnly.

Her spirit still hadn’t responded to her many attempts at communication, and Blue had claimed to know the reason. It was the promise of a child, of course, but Brigitte was desperate enough to hear it out.

Blue stopped swinging their feet and peered at Brigitte, who was sitting in a chair.

“Your house is skilled at fire magic, right?” the child asked.

“Yes.” She nodded.

There was no question about that. The family she was born into—the household of the Earl of Meidell—had thrived for generations as the Fire Clan, enjoying high favor with the king. There were nine magical orders: fire, wind, water, earth, flower, thunder, ice, light, and dark. Strictly speaking, there were also rare types of magic that did not fit within these orders, but generally, magic was limited to the nine. Of those, the core orders were fire, wind, water, and earth. Certain families specialized in each, just as the Meidells were known for fire and the Aurealises for water.

“Do you know why my spirit won’t show itself?”

“I certainly do,” Blue declared. “It won’t come out because you’re afraid of fire.”

“!”

Brigitte stared at the child.

Because I’m afraid?

She knew she was scared of fire. To her, it was both the object of terror that had burned her hand, and her father himself. That was why she had avoided flames. Even now, the mere flicker of a thought of it set her shaking with fear. Blue frowned as she unconsciously covered her left hand with her right.

“I can certainly understand why,” the child said.

“…?”

It was a bit of an odd thing to say. Did Blue mean to say they knew what her father had done to her?

“…But I pity your spirit,” Blue continued, adding in a whisper, “and that I cannot abide.”

Brigitte finally understood. She had been wondering all along why Blue had followed her home despite seeming to despise her. The answer was simple. The child didn’t care about Brigitte; they were fixated on her spirit.

That reminds me—it was Yuri’s spirit who invited me to their house yesterday…

She took in the sight of Blue again. It wasn’t unusual for spirits to take human forms. As a future spiritologist, she ought to be able to tell the difference. But Blue seemed to mistake her examination for a glare and leaned away.

“What?!” the child snapped.

“…You’re saying that if I overcome my fear of fire, my spirit will show itself?” she asked.

Blue nodded with satisfaction. “Exactly.”

That was when Sienna stepped in protectively. “Wait just one moment. As Miss Brigitte’s waiting maid, I cannot agree to that.”

“Sienna?”

“Overcoming your fear of fire means studying it at close range, even handling it, correct? I will not permit you to do anything so dangerous.”

She had a point. In the past, Brigitte had fainted if flames were too near. It was natural for a waiting maid to be wary of danger to her mistress…but Brigitte knew Sienna genuinely cared about her, too. Still, Brigitte shook her head.

“No, Sienna, one day even I will have to face my fears.”

“Miss…”

Spiritologists served as bridges between spirits and humans. They needed the skills to counsel beings from both worlds and help solve their problems. What good would a spiritologist be if they refused to have anything to do with one of the four major orders?

And how awful that my spirit has been unable to appear because of my fears…

Blue had said they pitied her spirit. Brigitte did, too. She didn’t want the current situation to continue forever, either. Also, her spirit had lent her its power to stop the ariel’s rampage, even though it knew Brigitte hated fire. What a kind being. She hoped to thank it directly one day.

“Blue, what exactly should I—?”

“Hey, miss!”

The door slammed open as Carson came barging in with no concern whatsoever. His short light-red hair was sticking up in all directions. He was sixteen, like Brigitte, and served as assistant cook and pâtissier at the cottage. It was normally unheard-of for one person to serve both roles in an upper-class residence, but since there weren’t many servants at the cottage, he was training in both.

His great-grandmother was a member of the Meidell family who’d eloped with a commoner. Although her energetic descendant and Brigitte were only distant relatives, they got along well, and Carson treated her like a sister. Which is to say, he was quite rude.

“Please address her as Miss Brigitte, not ‘hey, miss,’” Sienna scolded for what was probably the hundredth time.

As usual, he said, “I know, I know,” before immediately reverting to “So, miss, how about some baked sweet potatoes?”

Sienna let out a long sigh.

“Sweet potatoes?” Brigitte asked, blinking at him.

But Blue leaped up, eyes full of fight. “…That’s it!”

“Huh? What is?”

“You’ve got to use fire to bake sweet potatoes, right?”

That was obvious, but Brigitte realized what Blue meant.

“You mean I should light a fire in the garden?”

“What? Bake sweet potatoes in the garden? …Miss, are you sure you’ll be all right?” Carson seemed worried. He knew her story.

But if she had to do this to meet her spirit… She faked a confident nod. “Absolutely. Will you get everything ready, Carson?”

“…Your word is my command!”

He ran out as abruptly as he’d burst in, while Blue skipped after him.

“Potatoes, potatoes, potatoes…”

Does this scamp just want to eat sweet potatoes?

She didn’t say anything, though. Blue was too sweet, frolicking along, and their smile was too rare for her to ruin it.

I wonder if Yuri looks like this when he lets his guard down…

Of course, she didn’t say that out loud.

It was a blazing midsummer day.

To skip to the end of the story, Nathan, the head chef, instantly shot down the idea of any sweet potato parties in the garden.

“What kind of fool would roast anything outside on a day like this? You want to kill yourselves?” he shouted.

Carson deflated for a minute, then quickly decided to revert to his original plan of cooking something in the kitchen.

He told them that while sweet potatoes were normally harvested and cooked in fall, some new varieties ripened in summer. They were a little smaller and less sweet than the fall potatoes.

Less than a minute later, he had tied on his apron and rolled up his sleeves and was announcing the day’s menu.

“We’ll do sweet potatoes in fall. Today, I’ll make a simple dessert!”

“Dessert?! Yippee!” Blue exclaimed like a tiny, overjoyed child. They had climbed onto the table to stand right next to Carson, and the two of them were appearing to be fast friends already.

“First we’ll peel the potatoes. Step back, Blue, I’m using a knife!”

Carson was always running around the garden like a madman, breaking vases and things, but he seemed at home in the kitchen. He was quite smartly peeling perfect strips off the potatoes, smiling as Blue studied every movement of his hands. He could have roasted the potatoes in the oven, but Brigitte assumed he had changed the menu based on their earlier conversation.

When she saw the frying pan he’d gotten out, she understood immediately. He intended to use the smallest flame possible to make the trial easier for her.

All the servants are so thoughtful toward me…

Warmth spread through her chest. It was thanks to their kindness that she had been able to avoid encountering fire for so many years, despite living among people contracted with fire spirits.

But because of her, there wasn’t a single fireplace in the cottage. Cold winds always blew from the north in winter, chilling the Kingdom of Field, and she got through the yearly cold spell by wearing layer upon layer of clothes and tucking magic fire stones in her pockets. The servants did the same—although she knew it was more inconvenient for them.

The more she thought about it, the more determined she was to overcome her fear. She stuck her head over the counter the servants usually used and peered around the kitchen. Carson wasn’t using fire yet. She should have been calm, but her heart was already pounding—she was frustrated with herself.

“Miss Brigitte?”

“I’m fine, Sienna. Just a worrywart,” she said, keeping her tone light to hide her anxiety from her sharp attendant.

Carson’s hands never stopped moving. He was rolling mashed yellow potato flesh into balls.

“Sweet potato dumplings?”

“Correct!”

He smiled boyishly. Brigitte loved sweet potato dumplings. He’d been making them for her since he was a little boy. He melted a pat of butter in a cast-iron pan before setting the disc-shaped dumplings in neat rows. He threw Brigitte a quick glance before softly intoning a magical name and lighting the range with fire magic. From where she was standing, she could hardly see the flames.

Nevertheless—

I can’t breathe…

It was as if a strand of floss was tightening around her throat.

“They look so good!” Blue exclaimed.

The dumplings were caramelizing in the butter, sending up a savory scent as the butter sizzled appetizingly.

Brigitte knew that.

She knew that, but…

Why is even this too much?

She squeezed her eyes shut. Her instincts were telling her to plug her ears, too, but she resisted. If she gave in now, she would never overcome her fear.

Those few minutes felt absurdly long, but finally the cooking was done. Carson turned off the flame and arranged three dumplings each on four plates. He topped them with a drizzle of honey from the pot and a scoop of ice cream chilled with magic ice stones.

Blue was shaking, perhaps from excitement.

“Enjoy!” Carson said as he set the plates before them.

Blue scooped up some of the golden sweet potato topped with melting honey and ice cream and took a bite.

“It’s so good!” the child announced, steam and cold air escaping their mouth.

“Right? It’s easy. You can make it at home in a steel pan. The mistress here always eats about ten of ’em.”

“Carson, I believe you might be a genius,” the child said.

“I am. I am the king of the kitchen.”

Blue puffed their cheeks out and swung their feet while Carson smiled proudly.

Brigitte took a bite of a dumpling she’d cut in four. Today’s version had chopped nuts as a delicious accent.

…At least, it should have been delicious. But she couldn’t really taste it.

“Miss, are you all right?”

“Of course.”

The instant Brigitte forgot to keep her facade up, Sienna noticed. That was how well she knew her. Brigitte smiled and put the rest in her mouth.

After resting for a few minutes, Blue suggested they go outside.

It was just before noon, and the garden was horribly humid and hot. Carson and Blue flapped their shirt collars, earning a sharp “Watch your manners!” from Sienna.

But Brigitte was freezing cold—except for her left hand, which was boiling. She could almost imagine it burning underneath her glove.

The hand my father grabbed that day…

No matter how many times she had apologized and begged for forgiveness, he had refused to let her escape from the blazing flames.

She could hear her own body cooking.

She could hear the terrifying sound of her skin burning and her flesh turning to charcoal.

She could see her father’s cold eyes observing her as she suffered, covered in sweat and tears and snot—

In that moment, little Brigitte had realized something.

To her father, she was no more than a useless sack of meat.

“Sienna and Carson, you have red hair. That means you can use fire magic, doesn’t it?” Blue asked.

“Yes.”

“Just a little.”

“Then use your magic, or make your spirit appear.”

Sienna and Carson exchanged glances, and Brigitte saw it. Or she should have, but for some reason, she couldn’t focus. Everything was wavering like a mirage.

“Not to attack her. Just to show her a few flames,” Blue said.

“Please,” Brigitte added. “I’ll be fine.”

She smiled, but for some reason, Sienna said nothing. Carson seemed equally stunned.

Brigitte looked at them questioningly.

“Miss, your face…”

“What do you mean?” she asked.

…Huh?

Suddenly, the world turned upside down. She was panicking. She could hear screaming in the distance. But it was so far away. She was terrified she would keep falling, all alone, forever. Desperately, she reached out a hand.

Someone, please…

The second someone grabbed her falling hand—

“You idiot!”

Her eyes popped open.

Yuri was holding her in his arms and panting. He stared at her, his handsome face distorted.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

His hair, more beautiful than the bluest sky, was stuck to his cheeks by sweat. As she gazed into his citrine eyes, she was riveted by the powerful light in them.

Like dandelions blooming under a clear blue sky, she thought in a haze.

His eyes slowly widened, until she recognized the emotion as something resembling pain.

Why…?

She wanted to ask him why, but she couldn’t keep her eyes open. She slipped into unconsciousness.

They were sitting in a carriage.

Little Brigitte was sitting across from her father. She wanted to watch the scenery outside, but it had been drizzling since morning, and each time the horses took a step down the muddy road, the carriage wheels rattled violently. Her father had forbidden her from leaning out the window.

She had turned five that day.

When children turned five, they went to the shrine for the contracting ceremony. For Brigitte, the ceremony was far more special than her birthday.

“I wonder what spirit will come to meet me?”

She had asked the question many times over the past week. Her father smiled wryly, and her mother smiled faintly.

The day was frigid, but the inside of the carriage was warm and cozy, thanks to her father’s fire magic. She had waited so long for this day when she, too, would begin learning to make miracles with her own spirit. Would it be a fire-breathing salamander? Or maybe a powerful ifrit? How she longed to see a peri, with its human face. And jack-o’-lanterns must be adorable.

Her father seemed pleased to hear her reciting the names of spirits in a singsong chant.

“Brigitte, you just might be a child genius.”

“I wanna be a…a spitolologist, Father!” she answered proudly.

Her father often told her that she was gifted for such a young child. But when she tried to talk to him more about spirits, he told her he was too busy and shut himself in his study, which made her a little sad.

He said he wanted her to contract with an ifrit, like himself, or with a salamander, like her mother. But Brigitte thought she would be happy with any spirit. All she wanted was to have a spirit for a friend.

But what if…?

“What if I become friends with the Legendary Spirit?”

Her mother looked curiously at her excited daughter.

“The Legendary Spirit? You mean the spirit in The Wind Laughs?”

“Mm-hmm!”

She nodded enthusiastically. The beautiful spirit the sylphide had told Lien Baluanuki about had never been seen in the human world, which was why people called it the Legendary Spirit. The only evidence that it might exist were Lien’s notes and drawings.

A legendary spirit that no one had ever seen.

People called it a figment of imagination, and yet they dreamed about it and hoped for it. Just the thought of it sent so much love welling up inside Brigitte that she wanted to shout out loud.

What child didn’t?

As she wiggled excitedly in her seat, her father coughed.

“By the way, do you remember the man we met before we got in the carriage?”

“Yes, Father!”

“When we get home, we will have an important conversation with him.”

“Mm-hmm!” Brigitte smiled and nodded, although she hadn’t been listening.

“Darling, don’t you think it’s still too early for Brigitte…?”

“He has requested it, so what’s the harm? It’s a chance to bring excellent blood into our line.”

Brigitte smiled happily, never imagining that her beloved father would soon be burning her hand in the fire.

“…And the spirit contracted with the earl’s daughter, Brigitte Meidell, is…a no-name.”

As the priest announced her spirit, whispers rushed through the crowd, while Brigitte stood silently in the center of the storm. She was surprised—but not shocked. A no-name. A tiny spirit. People made fun of them, saying the weak little spirits floating in the atmosphere were the dregs of other spirits.

I’m still happy.

But what would her father and her mother say? Even little Brigitte understood that the earl and countess expected their eldest child to contract with one of the most powerful spirits. But they were kind; they would still be satisfied.

With that belief in her heart, she turned timidly around.

In her father’s face, she saw only despair.

“…Brigitte. You…”

She couldn’t hear what he said. Maybe he didn’t say anything; she wasn’t sure. All she did know was that he did not praise her. He did not call her a child genius.

Her memories of what happened after that were increasingly vague.

No sooner had the carriage stopped than her father pulled her out—dragged her out, really. The light rain created dark dots across her best dress, and her hair became damp.

When she got into the drawing room, her father shoved her left arm into the blazing hearth—burning her flesh away with searing pain.

She cried and begged for forgiveness. But instead of forgiving her, her father tightened his grip. Her whole arm felt like it was screaming, but the pain on the back of her hand was so intense she thought she was going crazy.

Her mother did not save her. She was standing in a daze behind her father, as if she didn’t know what to do.

Several servants ran up to them; one tried to stop him, but her father punched him with all his might.

Worthless! Good-for-nothing! Sluggard! Useless, useless, useless, useless!

Her father was screaming the same words over and over, insane with rage.

Whenever her father used difficult words, Brigitte used to look them up in the dictionary so she could understand them the next time. She wanted him to praise her. But she didn’t want to find those words in the dictionary. She knew what they meant, even though she didn’t want to. That was the most horrible part.

Father doesn’t need me anymore.

“I’m sorry. Please forgive me, Father.”

But her father would not forgive her for contracting with a tiny spirit.

The fire raged hotter, and the screams grew. Her own sobs mixed with their voices.

That was when it happened.

She felt like someone grabbed her right hand, which was dangling limply by her side. The hand that took hers was about the same size—a child’s hand.

I thought I imagined it.

Yet in the nightmares that repeated themselves dozens, then hundreds of times, the sensation grew gradually clearer.

She was fed up with herself for clinging to a convenient fantasy. She despised the weakness that made her want to distort reality. There was no one to save her. No one was on her side. So she thought—but…

I…I think I know this hand.

Letting the sensation pull her upward, she slowly opened her eyes.

“…Sir Yuri?”

The figure beside her shifted, and the warmth in her right hand instantly faded.

“You’re awake.”

He was sitting on the edge of a chair placed next to the bed. Blue-tinted moonlight poured through the window onto his back as his eyes softened in relief.

“Are you hurt?” he asked.

“No…I’m fine. Um, Sir Yuri…?”

“Yes?” She wanted to ask him if he had been holding her hand.

If I didn’t imagine it, then that other time, too…

But she couldn’t gather the courage to take his hand, now that he had withdrawn it from hers.

“Um…what time is it?” She couldn’t say the words on her mind.

“It’s the middle of the night,” he answered calmly.

“It is?!”

She tried to leap out of bed, but she was too weak. Realizing what she wanted, Yuri hesitantly put his hand on her waist and helped her sit up.

She was shocked. She couldn’t believe he was tending to her so devotedly.

Also, if she admitted the truth—she was a little bit captivated by how elegant his movements were.

“Can you drink something?”

“Y-yes. Thank you.”

She hurriedly took the glass he was holding out, and the water was pleasantly cool on her throat. Before she knew it, the glass was empty. Slowly, her hazy thoughts came into focus.

…This is my room, isn’t it?

All her familiar things were there. But she couldn’t understand why Yuri was in her room. And not only that, the two of them were alone. In the middle of the night.

All right…I remember falling in the garden and Yuri coming, but then what…?

She looked down at herself.

………I’m in my nightgown.

No.

No, no, no. She shook her head. There was no way Yuri could have changed her clothes. Sienna would never have let him do that. The maids must have washed her, changed her, and put her in bed. There was no other answer.

But to be seen in her nightgown by a gentleman who wasn’t her lover or fiancé—well, that didn’t bother her, but there were plenty of other problems.

My hair is a mess because I was sleeping. I like this nightgown, but it’s all wrinkled!

She touched her face—no powder. Everything was a mess.

How humiliating for Yuri to see her like this! She had to comb her hair. She had to smooth out her nightgown and put on makeup!

“S-Sir Yuri, I’d like to tidy myself u—”

“Was that your version of a joke?” he retorted, deadpan.

“I’m sorry,” she said, bowing her head.

“Who is this meek maiden?”

“…I’ve made a huge mistake. Even I know that.”

He must have sensed how bad she felt because he didn’t press the point. “Your maids were here until a few minutes ago, but they looked so exhausted, I told them to rest.”

“Oh…” Something occurred to her. “Does that mean you’ve stayed with me this whole time?”

Almost twelve hours must have passed since she collapsed.

Yuri gave a little nod. She stared at him.

“I mean, I left to eat in the other room, and I wasn’t the only one keeping an eye on you.”

Still…

A pail of water was sitting on the floor. He must have used it to cool her neck; she noticed a damp cloth balled up by her pillow.

Before she could thank him, he said sternly, “Anyhow, Brigitte, about this afternoon. Why did you do something like that?”

His tone was so harsh, she didn’t answer right away. Although his face revealed little, he was obviously angry. And she knew she deserved it. She shrank, opening and closing her mouth several times before finally saying, “I just…wanted to meet my spirit.”

“And you thought forcing yourself to get used to fire was the right way to do it?”

“I thought that as long as I was afraid of fire, my spirit wouldn’t show itself.”

“Brigitte,” he said, as if he were scolding an unreasonable child. “Before, when Lisa Selmin tried to attack you, didn’t you say you were scared?”

She hadn’t expected him to bring that up. Still, she didn’t want to be coaxed into changing her mind.

“…I did. But I can’t stay this way.”

“Brigitte,” he said, this time with even more reproach—but then his hand brushed her cheek.

“!”

She gasped. That was a lover’s touch. His hand was so gentle that she thought her heart would stop.

“You said you were afraid.”

She looked up. He had stood from the chair, repeating his point as if he was lecturing her. His brow was tightly furrowed. His pained eyes gazed down at her.

“You cried that day, remember?”

She shook her head. “…You were the one who made me cry.”

Her words sounded surprisingly like an excuse, even to herself. Her throat quivered. She had to stop, or else he’d see her foolishness again.

“I…I didn’t cry because I was scared.”

“…Brigitte.”

But, but…

“I want to be strong like you…”

A strained noise escaped her throat, and then the dam burst.

She could no longer hold back the flood of her emotions. Yuri seemed startled by the tears rolling down her cheeks, and for a second, he pulled his hand back. In that instant, she burrowed her head under the covers and curled into a ball. It was the most obvious means of escape.

“…Brigitte…”

“…!”

Even he was unlikely to pull the covers off her. His voice sounded weak. But she couldn’t bring herself to answer. It was all she could do to press one hand to her mouth so that the wails would not escape.

They had been jostling along in the carriage for two hours that morning. The Weir domain—that is, Nival Weir’s hereditary land and imperial stock farm—sat to the north of the capital, past quite a few hills and dales. While the capital was the center of fashion and trends, a two-hour journey was enough to reach another world. All around were green mountains and pastures dotted with grazing cows and sheep. Just the sight of it was relaxing, and she opened the carriage window and felt the cool breeze on her face.

“Miss Brigitte!”

“Miss Brigitte!”

Noisy voices interrupted her reverie. Evidently, Kira had arrived before her. As Brigitte stood to climb from the carriage, blushing from this warm welcome, Nival offered his hand. She took it gratefully, and he broke into a grin.

“It’s lovely to see you both!” Brigitte said. “Nival, thank you for inviting me to your estate.”

“No, Miss Brigitte, thank you for making the long trip here. Welcome to my— Wait, what are you doing here?!”

He pointed accusingly at Yuri and took a step back from the carriage. Brigitte glanced over her shoulder to see a profoundly irritated Yuri.

“What am I doing? Accompanying Brigitte, obviously.”

“I don’t see why she needs accompanying!”

“I wrote you a letter telling you I was coming.”

“You think I’d read a letter from the likes of you?!”

Ignoring this clearly good-natured feud, Brigitte turned to Kira.

“Miss Brigitte, have you been well?” Kira asked.

“I have! You look well, too.”

Brigitte couldn’t help smiling as Kira’s dark eyes twinkled, like a night sky full of stars.

“You cut your bangs! It’s a lovely style for you,” she said.

“Oh, Miss Brigitte…!”

Kira’s blushing face wasn’t hidden by long hair anymore, and Brigitte thought the change suited her perfectly.

“First things first, let’s go to the house so you can bring your luggage in,” Nival said, his spat with Yuri apparently over. Brigitte started walking to the carriage to take out her luggage. But before she had a chance, Yuri picked it up, clutching their two heavy-looking bags in his arms.

“Oh, Sir Yuri, you don’t have to…”

“It’s fine,” he said, before walking off toward the house, and Brigitte hurried after him.

Why is he so dashing…? No, stop!

She chased away the unwanted thoughts. If Nival and Kira caught on to her, they were sure to think she was strange.

She hadn’t seen Nival or Kira since school let out, and she hadn’t seen Yuri for two weeks. The cottage carriage wasn’t very nice, so she was grateful Yuri had offered an Aurealis carriage. But since neither Sienna nor Clifford was coming with her, she had been alone with Yuri for two hours. He had been unaffectedly considerate the whole time.

He asked me how I was feeling and how my spirit was…

If she wasn’t imagining things, he seemed to worry about her a lot. Thanks to her happiness and embarrassment, she wasn’t sure she’d managed to answer very coherently.

Funny that Blue didn’t show up the one time I could have used the help. Yuri had said the sassy spirit liked to sleep in, which reminded her that according to Sienna, Blue been a late riser when staying with them, too.

In any case, it had been all Brigitte could do to keep from blurting, “Oh, cows!” “Oh, sheep!” “Oh, goats!” every time she spotted an animal on the ride to the Weir domain.

They went inside the three-story mansion, which at least from the outside looked magnificent. The furnishings were simple but elegant. Nival said his mother had redone the interior about ten years ago when the house was renovated, and Brigitte could tell she had good taste. At the moment, none of his family was at the vacation home, but five servants welcomed Brigitte and Yuri warmly.

“Please make yourself at home on the second floor with Kira, Miss Brigitte. Yuri and I will be on the first floor,” Nival announced.

“I’ve already put my things in the room on the right. I hope you don’t mind…,” Kira said.

“Brigitte, is the room next to Kira’s all right?”

“Yes… Thank you, Sir Yuri.”

He nodded and strode up the stairs with her bag. Noticing how weighed down he was, Nival shouted, “Let me help!” but Yuri didn’t even pause.

Brigitte looked at Kira and smiled wryly.

“By the way, Kira, how’s Lisa?”

Kira’s face clouded over. “Actually…I heard she hasn’t left the dorm, even after the summer holiday began.”

“Really?”

“Yes, but my parents asked me to come home, so I haven’t been able to see her.”

She looked down helplessly.

The baron’s daughter, Lisa Selmin, had been close with Brigitte’s former fiancé, Prince Joseph. He had broken off their engagement after Lisa claimed Brigitte was bullying her, but she must have hated Brigitte just as much after that. Lisa had made Kira steal her pen during the written exams, followed Yuri around, ridiculed Brigitte in public, and even chased her with a torch during the magic-stone hunt. The memories of the harassment alone were awful. In the end, she’d been suspended from the academy of magic, but no one had seen her since, even after the suspension was over.

“But, Miss Brigitte, Miss Lisa isn’t the type to be that reckless,” Kira said earnestly. Their families were close, and the two girls had been childhood best friends, or close to it.

Kira had admitted to Brigitte that she was the one who stole her pen, but Brigitte guessed Kira had simply been following her friend’s orders. She hadn’t asked for the details. Kira had promised that she and Lisa would apologize together, and Brigitte believed her.

“I think she must have some reason. Please…”

“Kira, it’s all right,” she said, shaking her head. “I know she must have had a reason for what she did…and there’s something else that strikes me as odd.”

Come to think of it, Kira should know the answer.

Brigitte decided to ask her the question that had been bothering her.

“Do you know anything about Lisa’s contracted spirit?”

“Yes. It’s a third-class wind spirit… Why?”

“…No reason. Thanks.” She’d suspected as much.

Lisa’s not contracted with a fire spirit.

During the magic-stone hunt, Brigitte had been wearing the hair ornament Yuri had given her. It was a magic item with the power to deflect any order of magic one time. Thanks to that, she had been able to deflect the torch that Lisa threw at her. But that meant one thing.

Someone other than Lisa or her contracted spirit lit the torch she was carrying.

Joseph’s face flashed across her mind.

Maybe I’m jumping to conclusions…

Brigitte remembered Joseph and Lisa flirting. Lisa must have thought Joseph would propose to her after he broke off his engagement to Brigitte. Even Brigitte had assumed so after he had ended their relationship at that party. But three months had passed, and no sign of an engagement had come. If anything, he had abandoned Lisa when she was in dire straits and asked Brigitte to get back together right before summer vacation.

Why is he doing this…?

“Peep…”

A soft, high voice interrupted her thoughts. The chick spirit poked its head out of Brigitte’s chest pocket.

“You woke up!”

The chick had slept through the ride to the Weir domain. The long-awaited spirit was fussed over and adored by all the servants, but it got quite a scolding when it tried to nest in Brigitte’s long hair.

“I will not have your hair turned into a bird’s nest after I’ve gone to the trouble of combing it with scented oil!” Sienna had said. After that, the chick had taken to snuggling in Brigitte’s pockets or puffed sleeves.

“…You have a chick?” Kira asked, her eyes growing wide before she smiled. “Oh, by the way, we’re having a barbecue for lunch.”

“…Peep?!”

Likely fearing for its life, the chick scrambled back into Brigitte’s pocket.

That afternoon, they used the wood oven in the garden to cook lunch. Of course, they were all children of nobles, so they didn’t actually do the cooking, just chatted while the servants efficiently prepared their meal. The table was laid with skewered pork and beef and plump sausages. There was a rainbow of fresh vegetables, too—onion rings, carrots, eggplant, peppers, and corn. Nival’s family had many vegetable fields in their domain, in addition to the imperial stock farm they ran. All the vegetables had come from these fields.

I’ve never eaten outside like this before!

Brigitte’s heart pounded as she sat beneath her white parasol. Something like this would never happen at her cottage. Sienna had bought lunch for her at food stalls in the capital before, but that was very different. She was a future spiritologist, however. She would need to make solo research excursions to forests, marshes, beaches, and all sorts of other places. Getting used to eating outside was good preparation for her future—even if this was more like eating at a fine hotel.

“Brigitte.”

“Yes?”

“Can you light the fire?”

Me?!

Brigitte was surprised to hear this suggestion from Yuri. Charcoal was piled in the brick oven, but it hadn’t been lit yet. He was waiting for her.

“Miss Brigitte, can you do magic now?” Nival asked, looking as surprised as she was. After all, in the past, she’d been unable to summon her spirit or do any sort of magic. Kira pressed her hands to her cheeks, looking a bit pleased with herself.

“I gather Miss Brigitte hasn’t shown you her contracted spirit yet, Nival,” she said.

“Her contracted spirit…?!” He glared at Brigitte as if to say, What is the meaning of this? He must have been feeling left out.

Flustered, Brigitte looked down at her pocket.

“I’m sorry, but would you mind coming out?”

“Peep…,” it answered, before chirping weakly and poking its face out. The moment its eyes met Kira’s, it disappeared again.

“…Doesn’t seem to like you much,” Nival noted.

“Y-you’re imagining things,” Kira said, looking away.

He gave her a pointed look before asking Brigitte timidly, “That column of light that rose from the Meidell residence the other day… That wasn’t…?”

She nodded hesitantly. Sienna and Carson had told her the incident was the talk of the capital. She guessed that her father was the target of these rumors, but so far, he hadn’t asked her about it.

“My ariel was acting strange that night. She showed up out of the blue and then dived right through the windowpane to get out.”

“W-was everything okay?”

“Yes, but we had to put in new glass!”

That wasn’t what she meant, but he was flashing her a toothy grin, so she just nodded. “I’m glad.”

“Anyway, Brigitte, can you do it?” Yuri asked.

She thought it over. Since everyone had warned her to wait until she was used to the sensation of her magical power being consumed, she hadn’t used magic once since the chick spirit appeared. The truth was, she desperately wanted to try as soon as she could. How could she not want to? But…

“I want to… But how do you use magic?”

“I’ll teach you. Let’s practice nearby first.”

It was an embarrassingly childish question, so she had asked very quietly—but Yuri didn’t laugh at her.

That’s all it takes to put me at ease. I am not difficult to please!

The servants, too, bowed pleasantly and left the garden. Yuri and Brigitte rose and went to a safe place where nothing would get in their way. Nival and Kira followed.

“Since you’ll be lighting an oven, you just need to use a basic spell to produce a weak flame,” he explained calmly.

She nodded.

“Magical power is constantly flowing through the contracted person’s body. Imagine concentrating it in your fingers and palms… Do you mind if I take your hand?”

“What? Oh, um, not at all.”

After a short pause, she nodded. He must want to sense the flow of magic more easily. He held out his left hand, and she placed her right, unscarred hand in it. They were joined together now, and his face was very close, too…but withdrawing her hand would make the embarrassment worse, so she bit her lip and kept it there.

I’m glad I’m wearing gloves…

If he’d touched her bare hand, it probably would have been sweaty.

“Hey! Don’t think you can take advantage of the situation to hold Miss Brigitte’s hand!” Nival whined.

“This is the most efficient way. Would you like to—?” Yuri started to snap back, but then he broke off. “…Never mind. Brigitte, let’s continue.”

“A-all right.”

She nodded, too dazed to pay attention to their bickering.

“Focus your attention on your right hand… Good. Can you feel the magic gathering there?”

“Yes. I definitely feel it.”

The hand clasping his felt like the nexus of all her self-conscious nervousness. She could feel the flow of magic inside her body—along with the magic circulating in Yuri’s body.

It’s so cold and refined…

The coolness of his hand, imbued with his mastery of water and ice magic, felt so nice.

“Are you ready?”

“Yes,” she answered calmly, and he gently withdrew his hand. She brought her right hand in front of her, took a deep breath, and let it out. Needless to say, she’d chosen the magic for lighting a fire. It was among the most common of the lowest-level types of fire magic.

“Fire!” she shouted intently.

Red flames instantly rose from her palm.

She felt nervous—but not scared. Her limbs did not quiver in the presence of her past source of terror. She could stand tall—and she knew why.

It’s because Yuri is next to me.

Also, the gloves Sienna and the other servants had given her—made from dragon skin and scales and magical spider thread that was resistant to fire—were protecting her.

I’m totally fine.

Nival and Kira were cheering her on. She had successfully invoked her magic. But her joy only lasted a second…

…Huh?

Something strange was happening.

The flames were still raging in front of her palm. As they abruptly swelled, sweat began to pour down her face. Before she knew it, the ball of fire was radiating heat far stronger than the summer sun. As she blinked in surprise, it grew bigger and bigger.

I think…this might be getting dangerous!!

Yuri was slightly panicking as well; he probably hadn’t expected this. Suppressing her agitation, she smiled.

“Ah-ha-ha, you sure are a good teacher, Sir Yuri!”

“Are you trying to blame this on me?” He saw right through her.

“Sorry,” she muttered.

He sighed. “…Brigitte, are you ready to have water poured on your head?”

“Is th-that the only option?”

He nodded gravely. It seemed he would have to put out the fire using his water magic.

“…A-all right, then. Go ah—”

Just then, something wiggled in her breast pocket.

Huh?!

“Peep!”

The tiny chick spirit was fluttering bravely toward the raging flames. She stuck out her free hand to stop it, but the red bird dodged and made its way to the edge of the fire.

“Peep!” it cried from midair.

Its pink beak opened wide—and its tiny mouth swallowed the fireball whole.

“What?!” Brigitte yelped in surprise.

Beside her, Yuri was staring in disbelief. The fireball, which had been ready to explode any second, had vanished completely.

The chick alighted on the ground and burped with satisfaction.

For a few seconds, they were all silent.

…It ate the f-fire…?

Brigitte felt like she had seen something similar before. Yes…it was like the time Nival’s ariel had gone on a rampage—and then the thundering storm had vanished like mist.

What if it didn’t disappear after all? What if this little fluff ball ate it?

“Is your spirit all right? It isn’t grilled chicken now, is it?” Kira asked. The sight must have given her quite a shock because her eyes were squeezed shut.

“Peep!” the chick answered, giving its feathers a good shake before flying back to Brigitte and burrowing into her pocket.

Brigitte didn’t understand exactly what had happened, but she knew the chick had saved her, so she stroked it from outside her pocket. It chirped happily.

“Miss Brigitte, do you think that spirit might be…?” Nival asked hesitantly.

“…You think so, too?” she answered, smiling a little.

The most famous story in The Wind Laughs told of a fire spirit that took the form of a bird. It was natural to make the connection.

I didn’t read anything about it eating magic, though…

The mythical spirit was said to have beautiful wings. Brigitte and Yuri suspected the chick might be that very spirit—although they didn’t have proof yet, so she didn’t want to start any rumors.

Anyway…

It was hard for her to believe that she, Brigitte Meidell, the girl everyone mocked and called the Red Fairy, might be contracted with this legendary spirit.

After the fireball incident, they asked a servant to light the oven, and then they had a lovely barbecue. They all ate plate after plate of grilled meat and vegetables. Brigitte had no idea charred meat and vegetables would taste this good if you ate them outside. It was a major discovery.

She bit into a sausage seasoned with salt and pepper. Juices ran onto the plate. It might not have been fitting for an earl’s daughter, but she picked up the plate and drank down the last drop.

I’d like to do this in the cottage garden…

She planned to suggest it to Nathan, the head chef. She was sure Carson would love the idea. Still, she worried the smells would bother her parents in the main house.

But maybe if the wind is blowing in the right direction?

As she was mulling over her strategy, a hand reached out and placed something on her plate, and she glanced up. Yuri was using a pair of tongs to load her up with grilled meat.

“Eat some more,” he said in his deep, alluring voice. The tongs definitely did not suit his handsome face. He could insist all he wanted, but she was chowing down on a sausage at that very moment.

“I’ve had plenty, thank you,” she said.

“I think you should put on some weight.”

Nice manners!

She frowned. How indelicate could he be? But he was probably just worried about her. She wanted to think so, at least.

Kira, who was much thinner than Brigitte, speared a slice of grilled carrot and said to the chick spirit, “You know, you could grow bigger, too, if you eat some of this.”

“Peep?!”

Brigitte had a feeling that the chick’s face was expressing terror at the offering. That reminded her of something.

“By the way, I want to come up with a name for my spirit, but I can’t think of anything good.”

The truth was, she couldn’t think of anything the spirit liked, so she was hoping they might have a good suggestion.

Nival tore another piece of steak off his skewer and looked up. “A name? …How about something that reflects your power and authority? The Splendid Spirit of Miss Brigitte or The Great Miss Brigitte’s Chick?”

“Peep…?”

What hideous taste!

“Let’s see… I think Roasty Toasty has a nice ring to it! Or maybe Rotisserie Chick?” Kira suggested.

“Peep…!!”

She’s just as bad…

Brigitte wasn’t sure, but she thought the chick’s beady black eyes were pleading in metaphorical tears. The chick couldn’t talk, but it was clearly displeased. She knew that much.

“Sir Yuri, what do you think?” she asked.

“Why not something like Peep?” he suggested nonchalantly.

Everyone groaned.

“Sir Yuri…”

“Yuri, I swear…”

“Sir Aurealis…that’s just…”

“…What?”

He couldn’t get much less creative.

But one member of the group seemed pleased by it.

“Peep!!”

Fluffing its feathers, the chick spirit hopped around the table.

Brigitte stared in surprise.

But when I suggested names it ignored me!

Her eyes welled with tears of shock and frustration.

And so it came to pass that the chick spirit was named Peep.

The two days at Nival’s vacation home flew by. They toured the imperial stock farm and the factories where dairy products and fruits were processed. The garden party on the sprawling estate was delightful, and Brigitte had a feeling Nival and Kira got even closer that day.

Nival had two sisters who were quite a bit older than he was. He said they pushed him around, so he had been overjoyed to move to the dorm when he had started at the academy of magic. He was not only president of his class but also of his dorm, which was a surprise to Brigitte, who commuted.

Kira was smiling much more. Before, she had hidden behind her long bangs and talked in a whisper, but now she made eye contact with Brigitte and Nival and spoke clearly. She still seemed nervous around other people, but Brigitte was confident that she would be all right in class.

On their last night together, the four of them were lounging in one of the spacious guest rooms. Kira was sitting on Brigitte’s left, Yuri was facing her, and Nival was to Yuri’s right. Textbooks and workbooks were spread on the table among them.

I’ve never studied with friends before…!

Brigitte felt like she was walking on air. She had spent her whole life until now without friends. She had toiled endlessly over her homework in her room at the cottage. But not now.

Nival looked around the group.

“So, everyone, how much homework do you have left? I’ve only got a few pages of applied magic.”

“I’m done with everything,” Yuri said.

“I’ve just got human sciences left,” Brigitte said.

“I have six worksheets for fundamentals of magic, half the workbook problems for applied magic, the report for history, and…,” Kira said.

Everyone fell silent.

It went without saying that Yuri was the top student in their grade. Brigitte had ranked thirtieth on the last exams, and Nival had been sixteenth.

Kira was despondent. “Compared to you, I’m by far—”

“The dumbest,” Yuri said bluntly. Kira covered her face with her hands.

“Sir Yuri!” Brigitte blurted.

“I was just pointing out she’s no good at planning.”

There was no denying that. Given that they had only a few days left of summer vacation, Kira must have had awful time management skills to leave such a mountain of homework. For her part, Brigitte approached assignments methodically and had intentionally left the human sciences assignment so she’d have something to work on at their study group.

“You ought to be kinder with your words!” she scolded.

“I’m sorry, Miss Brigitte. You don’t have to defend me…,” Kira said, shrinking back in embarrassment.

“Peep! Peep, peep!”

The chick spirit popped its head out of Brigitte’s breast pocket and began chirping energetically. It appeared to be poking fun at Kira. Brigitte felt like it was actually laughing at her. Come to think of it, Kira had been very thoughtful toward the chick for the past two days. Brigitte wondered why but decided to change the subject.

“Kira, do you like birds?” she asked.

“Oh yes,” she answered. “My family was poor nobles, and when I was little, we ate all sorts of meat.”

“Oh…”

Kira glanced hungrily at Peep.

“Peep…!!”

The chick began to shake. It tried to burrow into Brigitte’s pocket, but in its panic ended up with its round rear end sticking out. She tapped it down helpfully before turning back to Kira.

“Kira, would you like me to help you with your homework?”

“Oh, would you?!” she answered, her eyes wide and her cheeks flushed. “I would love that. But I couldn’t ask that of you. Our class president will help me!”

“He will?” Nival echoed.

“I mean, I hope he’s able to…”

“That’s even worse!” he moaned.

Ignoring him, Kira opened her workbook. Brigitte watched them, brushing her hair from her face.

“Th-then…Sir Yuri…”

“Huh?”

“I wouldn’t mind…if you helped me with the human sciences homework.”

Ack, I didn’t mean to say it that way!

Her nerves were hardly an excuse for putting her request so rudely. Yuri stared at her as she mentally debated restating her question.

“What the hell was that?” With no warning whatsoever, he laughed.

Nival and Kira looked flabbergasted. Meanwhile, Brigitte was so stunned, she dropped the textbook she was holding onto the ground.

“Hey, are you all right?” Yuri asked.

“I’m f-f-fine…!!” she answered, although her stuttering gave away the fact that she was not at all fine.

Yuri stood and walked around the table. Evidently, he was going to pick up the book for her. And then sit down next to her to help her study. Brigitte’s heart was about to pound straight out of her chest.

“You’re a beast, Yuri!” Nival howled.

It had all started that morning. Summer vacation at Otoleanna Academy of Magic was over, and today was the first day of the new semester. Brigitte had put on her uniform for the first time in a month and was tickling her spirit playfully as she waited for the carriage to arrive.

I think you might have grown a little…

Plumper, that is. The chick still fit in the palm of her hand, but if she wasn’t mistaken, its girth had expanded. Its spindly legs poked out below its squat little body in the most endearing way.

Spirits were believed to live far, far longer than humans. Born in great numbers from the mana pervading the atmosphere, some spirits were said to emerge immature and develop slowly over incomprehensible spans of time. Although they did not have bloodlines, some copied human society by creating pseudo-familial relationships.

Brigitte had never heard of a spirit’s form changing over such a short period—but she could imagine one reason why hers might have done so.

Maybe it’s because Peep ate the fireball I created at the cottage…

She wasn’t sure if that could be called food, but she thought it might be an explanation. Also, she was fairly sure Peep had eaten the storm unleashed by Nival’s ariel to protect her.

Does it grow when it eats magic? Does it mature as a spirit?

“Peep, are you going to grow into a chicken?”

“Peep?”

The spirit didn’t seem to understand.

“Miss Brigitte!”

Just then, the door to her room slammed open. She assumed it was Carson from the bang, but she assumed incorrectly.

“Sienna?”

Uncharacteristically for her, Sienna was panting and looked upset. Brigitte leaped to her feet, sensing instinctively that something was wrong, while Peep burrowed into her hair. Normally, Sienna would have raised an eyebrow and plucked Peep out, but this time she didn’t even notice.

“What’s wrong, Sienna?” Brigitte asked.

She answered breathlessly, and bitterly.

“…Prince Joseph Field is at the doorstep.”

Brigitte wanted to sigh as she remembered these events of a few moments before. She resisted the urge, however, because Joseph was sitting across from her in his carriage on the way to school. He had appeared without warning and invited her to ride to school with him.

“Brigitte, are you angry?”

“……No, it’s nothing like that,” she answered stiffly.

He should have known that a mere earl’s daughter could not turn down a direct invitation from a member of the royal family. If she did, her position would become even more imperiled.

“…Forgive me for saying this, but would you mind not doing this sort of thing again?”

“Why not?”

“Because I am no longer your fiancée, Prince Joseph.”

She lifted her eyes, although not so much that it would be unnatural.

Joseph, the Third Prince of the Kingdom of Field, had golden hair and eyes. As he sat across from her, a sweet smile on his handsome face, she felt as if she’d gone back in time. But she knew this was no illusion. He must have been thinking the same thing because a hint of melancholy crossed his expression.

“Can’t you call me Sir Joseph like you used to?”

“!”

She was speechless. Joseph had disgraced her in front of a crowd of students when he broke off their engagement. After accusing her of harassing Lisa, he had ignored her pleas and hadn’t believed a word she said. And now he was acting like none of that had ever happened.

“…I’m sorry, Brigitte.” He held out his hand.

She shrank back, while the back of her head bumped the carriage window. An awkward silence fell over the chamber. Joseph stared at his hand hanging there with nowhere to go, then smiled thinly.

“Yes, I hurt you deeply by believing only what Miss Selmin said. I genuinely regret that, Brigitte. That’s why I want us to try again…as I said before class let out for the summer.”

Brigitte could not answer. She simply watched him conflictedly.

I used to like this person.

She knew that her feelings had been far too shallow to call “love.” When her father had abused her and abandoned her in the cottage to be laughed at by the world, Joseph had been the only one to reach out a kind hand. She was grateful to him for that, and she felt indebted. She wanted to do whatever she could for him, and so when they were engaged, she had followed his every order.

“Or…,” he said, the warmth suddenly gone from his voice, and Brigitte flinched. “Do you like someone else now?”

“…I…”

The carriage stopped. She was relieved, but of course she knew it wasn’t over.

“Your hand.”

“…Thank you.”

Responding stiffly to his practiced motions, she stepped out of the carriage with his help. Instantly, the students nearby began to whisper to one another. Of course they did. Brigitte and Joseph had arrived in the opulent white carriage of the royal family. How could they fail to gawk when out stepped the prince and his former fiancée? The pair would be the talk of the school for the rest of the day. A depressing thought.

Then, belatedly, she noticed that the one person she least wanted to witness this scene was standing nearby.

“Sir Yuri!”

“—”

His eyes widened slightly as he looked at her. Behind him was the same Aurealis carriage that had taken them to Nival’s vacation home.

“Hello there, Yuri,” Joseph called, ignoring the frozen atmosphere. Yuri did not answer, so Joseph went on. “I came to school with Brigitte today. I’m hoping we can get back together.”

“What?” Yuri blurted out. “Your Highness, are you fully aware of what you did to her?”

He was as good as asking Are you insane? It was worse than disrespectful toward the prince…but Brigitte was happy he said it.

Joseph, however, did not let his self-assured smile slip. “I could say the same to you, Yuri Aurealis,” he said.

The next morning, Brigitte—who, at least as far as she could tell, had made up with Yuri—left for school two hours earlier than usual.

I don’t want to get stuck going to school with Joseph again…

Sienna and the other servants had been quite worried by his visit to the cottage the day before—or to put it more accurately, they were livid. They knew the whole story about how he had broken off the engagement. It wasn’t long ago that they’d used fire magic to burn a mountain of pink dresses that he’d insisted Brigitte wear.

Brigitte imagined that by now Joseph might be standing on her doorstep, scowling at the servants.

What’s the use in thinking about it?

She turned back to the notes she was taking. Luckily, the teacher’s lounge had been open when she got to school, and when she explained that she wanted to study, a teacher had unlocked the classroom for her.

After she’d been studying for around an hour, her classmates started to arrive. She returned their greetings as they came in. They seemed relieved to see her mood improved from the day before. Eventually, Kira and Nival arrived.

“Good morning, Miss Brigitte.”

“Miss Brigitte, good morning!”

“Morning… I’m sorry I made you two worry yesterday.”

Kira shook her head. “Not at all! I’m just happy you’re feeling better!”

“…Are things all right with His Highness? If there’s anything I can do…,” Nival offered, lowering his voice.

“No, but thank you,” Brigitte answered. “I feel like I need to resolve things with him myself.”

She didn’t know exactly what Joseph had meant by his words the day before. She did know that she had absolutely no intention of reinitiating their relationship. If she stuck to her decision, she figured that eventually he would give up.

“Peep, peep…”

Still, Peep must have picked up on her anxiety. Poking its face from her hair, it gazed at Brigitte’s jaw with a vaguely melancholy expression.

Kira stared at it in surprise. “Wow, Peep has grown!” She was close enough with the spirit to call it by its nickname, so it was no surprise she noticed.

Brigitte nodded, impressed. “Yesterday when I woke up, I noticed it was a little bigger.”

“Oh, really? I think it’s wonderful that Peep is putting on some meat,” she said, smiling and clapping.

“Puep…!” the spirit squealed, making a sound Brigitte had never heard before as it dived back into her hair.

“Peep, are you all right?!” she asked worriedly.

“That spirit hates you, Kira,” Nival interjected.

The day of the school inspection arrived before Brigitte knew it. Now that she was competing with Yuri, she woke up raring to go.

But the truth is, I don’t have to do anything special.

Students were called into a separate room one by one to summon their spirits in front of the priests. After that, the priests and spiritologist interviewed the students and sometimes their spirits for up to ten minutes. On a later date, the names of the students invited to the shrine were announced at school. It was all extremely simple.

Because the inspection was part of the academic program at all schools of magic, it was relatively straightforward and relaxed, compared to the magic-stone hunt. But for Brigitte last year, it had been hellish. Back then, she had still believed she was contracted with a tiny spirit, and she didn’t yet know how to summon it. Engaging in a few minutes of leaden conversation with the uncomfortable priest and spiritologist made her stomach ache.

But this year, I’ll be with Peep!

She squeezed her fists. As if in response, the chick spirit peeped cheerfully.

As there were nearly a hundred students in each grade, the interviews lasted four days. On the first two, all the first-year students had finished their interviews. Today, the third day, second-year Class 1—Yuri’s class—and Class 2—her class—would have their turns.

That reminds me, Prince Joseph hasn’t been around to see me since that day.

She thought about it as she flipped through a library book while she waited for her turn. It had to be because she’d turned him down in front of everyone. Ever since, he’d stopped coming to the cottage or talking to her at school.

Maybe he’d finally lost the urge to interfere in her life. That was a reassuring thought but also a little sad. When she was young, she’d viewed Joseph as the only person on her side. She had depended on him and looked up to him. Now she didn’t understand him at all.

Maybe I never really understood him…

“Miss Brigitte, I’m going to see Miss Lisa again today,” Kira whispered, interrupting Brigitte’s train of thought.

Kira had already finished her interview. Evidently, she planned to go back to the dorms and visit Lisa, who was still holed up in her room.

Brigitte thought for a moment before standing. “Then I’ll go with you.”

“Um, but…”

“After all, I’m a part of all this.”

Students were encouraged to study while they waited, but lots of people passed the time chatting or left the classroom until their turn. Brigitte was toward the end of the list and had plenty of time before she was called. Leaving the class would probably be fine.

Kira looked hesitant but finally nodded and said, “All right.” She had been visiting Lisa since before the summer. Maybe she felt at loose ends, since Lisa refused to respond to anything she said.

To be safe, the two of them told Nival, the class president, they were leaving.

“Nival, we’re going to the dorm for a little while,” Kira said.

“Should I come?” he asked, jumping up, but Brigitte stopped him.

“Wait, isn’t it almost your turn to be interviewed?”

“You’re much more important, Miss Brigitte— I mean, what you’re doing is much more important,” he answered.

“What are you talking about? You’re the class president! You need to set an example for all of us,” she said, exasperated.

“Oh, I suppose you’re right…,” he mumbled, sitting back down dejectedly. For some reason, Kira and their other classmates seemed to pity him.

“Stop looking at me like that…!” he moaned.

“Let’s go, Miss Brigitte,” Kira said.

“Okay.”

Leaving the anguished Nival behind, the two of them left the classroom. But as they walked down the hall, someone called out.

“Meidell, would you lend me a hand?”

Brigitte stopped and turned around. Mr. Inad, the young medicinal herbology teacher, was standing in the hallway. He was the same teacher who had flown into a rage when Brigitte answered her summer written test in blood, changing her perfect score to a zero and telling all the other classes about it. Brigitte had apologized at the time, but their relationship remained strained.

Aware of this situation, Kira timidly stepped forward.

“I can help you, Mr. Inad. I’ve already completed my interview.”

“That’s all right. Meidell’s help will be adequate.”

Kira cocked her head, and Brigitte frowned, but they couldn’t very well stand there arguing with him.

“All right,” she said to the teacher, before turning to Kira. “Kira, can you go on ahead to the dorms?”

Kira nodded, and Brigitte followed Mr. Inad down the hall.

“What would you like help with, Mr. Inad?” she asked.

“You’ll see when you get there,” he said firmly.

They continued silently down the hall. After going downstairs to the first floor, they turned down several more hallways and finally ended up in the storage area of an unfamiliar meeting room.

I thought he wanted help with his class. What could he need down here…?

And they had interviews that day. Couldn’t he get ready for class after the weekend?

“Um, Mr. Inad?”

“We’re almost there,” he said, without stopping. Finally, he pointed to a door. “Here we are.”

Taking out an old key, he opened the door. Beyond it was a small room crammed with scrolls and boxes she assumed were full of class supplies. He gestured to go inside, and she did. It was dusty and damp in the room; nobody was cleaning down here.

“So what should I—?” she was saying, when the door slammed behind her.

She spun around, then froze. She could hear the key being turned hurriedly in the door.

“…Don’t hate me for this,” Mr. Inad’s muffled voice said from the other side.

I already hate you…!

She almost said it out loud but stopped herself. She couldn’t talk back to him the way she did to Yuri. That would only make the situation worse. She covered her mouth and waited silently.

Mr. Inad was evidently pleased with her response, because she heard his footsteps fading away.

When she couldn’t hear them anymore, she took her hand off her mouth. First, she tried the doorknob, but as expected, it was locked and would not open.

Next, she looked around the room. There was a small window high on one wall, and while it did let in a dim light, it was too high for her to reach, even if she stood on a shelf.

Is there any other way out of here…?

She inspected the room again as she considered the situation. She could only think of one reason why Mr. Inad would do something like this to her.

He’s harassing me.

She knew how outraged he’d been by her behavior during the test, and how he’d spread the word around—but that was two months ago. Why would he do something like this now? She sighed.

“Hello there, Brigitte,” a voice said.

Someone stepped casually from the shadows. Thanks to the light, the figure was silhouetted—but there was no mistaking that familiar voice.

Brigitte gasped. “Prince Joseph…”

“Thank you for coming. I’ve been waiting for you.”

She guessed the gist of the situation from those words. Mr. Inad was in league with Joseph, although his task probably ended with bringing her here.

Why…?

She knew this was no time to sit around speculating. She stepped backward. “I’m very sorry, but I have something I need to do.”

“Brigitte.”

He ignored her and closed the distance again. She took another step—but there was nowhere to go in the small locked room. Her back against the wall, she gulped.

“If you get any closer—”

“You’ll do what? You can’t use magic, can you?”

She clenched her teeth. Strictly speaking, she could use magic. But even when she’d tried to use the most basic magic, she’d produced a terrifically powerful ball of fire that she couldn’t control, even with Yuri’s help. She could not knowingly create an explosion in this small room. If her luck was poor, it would kill them both instantly. As Brigitte struggled to find another option, Joseph smiled kindly.

“Say you’ll come back to me, Brigitte.”

“No.”

The perfect smile twitched. “…What?”

“I don’t want to go back to you, Prince Joseph.”

I thought I told him that the other day…

She glared at him, trying to communicate that thought.

His golden eyes slowly narrowed. “…Is that so? I see.”

Huh?

He took her rejection surprisingly well. As she wondered what was going on, he lowered his voice to a sultry whisper. “Are you pouting because I never kissed you when we were engaged?”

“…What?”

Taking advantage of her moment of incomprehension, he stepped forward and grabbed her jaw. While she was frozen in shock, his handsome face approached hers. She screamed and tried to push his chest away.

But he was so much bigger than she was that he didn’t even flinch.

She tried to escape, but he grabbed her left hand roughly and didn’t let go even when she stumbled. He smiled, evidently amused to be tormenting someone weaker than he was.

“Maybe I should just take you right here.”

“…!”

Goose bumps covered her body. She could not believe that a member of the royal family would say such a thing in a dusty storage closet.

“Please stop joking around!”

“How resolute of you. But you’re shaking.”

And that shaking only worsened as he hooked his arms underneath her armpits. She heard him laughing, his face buried in her hair.

Hot breath fell on her neck. Wherever he touched her, the hair on her skin stood on end. She was so terrified that she wanted to scream. But she wouldn’t let the welling tears spill from her eyes. Another figure flashed across her mind.

Yuri…

She thought of that noble young man with blue-black hair and yellow eyes. He was more composed and intellectual than anyone she knew—and more dashing. She drew him in her mind’s eye.

It was strange.

Just thinking of him lit a flame in her trembling heart.

Prince Joseph isn’t the same kind person I used to know…

She refused to give in to anyone who would resort to such a spineless scheme. She didn’t want him to think she was surrendering.

“Stop! Let me go!” she shouted.

“…Noisy girl. Shall I have my spirit shred your clothes?” he hissed.

He was contracted with two spirits, a fire spirit and a wind spirit. Neither of them was particularly aggressive, but they were agile. With wild spirits, there was room to negotiate. But contracted spirits prioritized their masters and were impossible to convince.

“Peep!!”

Peep…!

The little chick jumped out of her hair, which Joseph was still pressing down. Its beady eyes flashing, it flew at his face and attacked with beak and claws.

“Peep! Peep!!”

“What the hell?!” Joseph swatted at the tiny attacker.

Slap!

With an audible noise, Peep was batted away, and its tiny form slammed to the floor.

“Peep!” Brigitte shouted.

In a frenzy, she managed to break free of Joseph’s grasp and crawl to where the spirit lay. She scooped the little bird in her hands—but Peep lay limp, only a faint breath escaping its parted beak.

“Peep…”

This was too much. Hot tears poured down her cheeks, while a wave of heat and pain crashed across her skull. She couldn’t think.

“Why, why?”

She could hear Joseph brushing the dust from his clothes. “I’m only asking one thing of you, Brigitte,” he said flatly, as if his passion had cooled.

She turned around in a daze. His even features were covered in scratches.

He pulled something from his breast pocket.

“Is that…?”

“Of course you would know.”

A branch of the seven-cauldrons tree…

The seven-cauldrons tree was a deciduous tree with red berries. Fairies were said to detest it. In villages where the old ways persisted, young girls often carried branches of the tree to protect themselves.

But what Joseph held was no ordinary branch. It was the color of fresh blood, perhaps from being smeared with crushed berries, and she could see the powerful magic it held. She had never seen one in real life before, but she had read of them.

“A magic breaker…”

It was the only item that could forcibly sever the contract between a human and their spirit. They were kept at shrines to save people who had attracted the unwanted favor of the Unseelie Court—the fairies who did harm to humans. When the pointed tip of the branch touched a person’s body, fairies would keep their distance and eventually stop coming altogether.

However, magic breakers had hardly ever been used in the history of the kingdom. Even the fae of the Unseelie granted people power, and once the bond was broken, a child might never again contract with another spirit.

But how had Joseph gotten his hands on such a special item from the shrine?

He must have read the question on her face. “I got this from a priest who has a liking for me. Shall I prick your arm with this branch, Brigitte?”

“…”

“That spirit is getting in my way.”

Crouching and holding Peep to her breast, she inched backward. She did not take her eyes off Joseph. The moment her vigilance weakened, he would make good on his terrifying words.

But I don’t understand why…

Joseph knew about Peep. Maybe he had known even before the column of light appeared—maybe long before Brigitte herself knew.

“…Your Highness.” The words spilled from her mouth.

“What?”

“Why did you get engaged to me?”

She had been wondering that for a long time. It probably wasn’t the right time to ask. Still, she suspected that if she didn’t ask now, she would never know the real reason.

For a second, his eyes widened in surprise.

“…It’s obvious, isn’t it?” he said, smiling. The smile was the kindest she had ever seen on his face. “Because you’re the stupidest, most miserable person in the world, Red Fairy.”

When exactly had people started calling him the idiot prince behind his back? He couldn’t remember, but it was probably before his earliest memory.

He couldn’t do things that were taken for granted in the royal family. Things that everyone else learned in a snap, he still couldn’t do after endless repetition.

“But your older brothers learned this so quickly…”

That was a favorite line of his private tutor. She had said it so many times, he felt his ears were going to melt off.

When he went to the shrine at the age of five for the contracting ceremony, he had contracted with weak mid-level spirits, only barely above low-level. His reputation declined even more.

The king hadn’t expected anything from him to start with. Joseph’s mother was the Second Queen, but she always complained that the male child she had conceived with so much difficulty was good-for-nothing. For Joseph, though, the worst thing of all was that his two older half brothers, sons of the king by the First Queen, were fine young men.

Joseph was both dull and morally corrupt. His older brothers were always cheerful around him, shining like stars. Each time he saw the smiling, adoring crowds surrounding them, Joseph’s heart filled with black bile.

By copying his brothers, Joseph became skilled at covering his faults with a shallow smile of his own, but everyone still ignored him.

That was when he heard the rumors about the Red Fairy. Her name was Brigitte Meidell, and she was the same age as he was. She came from the famed Fire Clan, yet she was contracted with a no-name. To top it all off, her father had burned her hand and banished her from the house to live alone in a separate cottage.

Joseph was intrigued. One day, he happened to meet her at a tea party held by another noble family. He had smiled at her and said, “Miss Brigitte, tell me what you like.”

She had been staring glumly at the floor, and she seemed surprised that he was talking to her. Although it was a hot day, she wore thick gloves on both hands. They would be concealing hideous scars—how pitiful.

The conversation didn’t go particularly well, but they talked—and that day, he made up his mind.

I’ll make this girl my fiancée.

He felt no sympathy for her, nor was he attracted to her. He had been treated the way he had because he was the dullest of the three princes. But what if?

What if an even greater fool were by my side?

That was his initial thought, and the strategy turned out to garner him unexpected praise.

I heard Joseph reached out to that useless Brigitte.

He must be very kind. His smile is simply stunning.

How fortunate the Red Fairy is to have the pity of a prince.

Nobles who had always ignored him or mocked him were suddenly applauding him. They said he had an excellent character, that he was more virtuous than his brothers. The prince with the kind smile, they called him—each time he heard something like that, his mood soared.

But best of all was his first meeting with his future father-in-law, the Earl of Meidell. Because Joseph was making a personal visit to the Meidell residence, Brigitte was not present. She was forbidden from entering the main house. This was quite unusual, but the earl did not seem embarrassed by it.

“Truly, you have saved us, Your Highness. Thank you for taking our good-for-nothing girl as your fiancée.”

The earl had bowed his head stoically.

These were not words a man typically used to describe his own daughter, but Joseph smiled generously and nodded. What more could he expect from a man who had burned his daughter’s hand in the hearth? His wife was nowhere to be seen, but Joseph guessed she must be a similar creature. He didn’t care either way.

“…Actually, we had another request for her hand,” the earl admitted, sounding relieved.

“What’s that you say?”

“The offer was withdrawn, of course. It was the son of a certain family—”

Needless to say, Joseph shivered with delight at this news. He knew all about the boy his own age who was far more gifted than his own older brothers. Of course he did—people compared them all the time. The lucky bastard had happened to have contracted with two top-level spirits. Even he had forsaken Brigitte, but Joseph was rescuing her.

Yessss…what a glorious feeling to beat that rat!

That day he stayed in his room, buried his face in his pillow, and laughed silently. If he hadn’t, the doorman would have come to check on him. Joseph was no longer the idiot prince. He wasn’t about to get himself a reputation as an eccentric.

His relationship with his new fiancée proceeded better than he could have imagined. As soon as they were engaged, he realized how timid she was. He’d heard that many members of the Fire Clan had fiery tempers, but Brigitte always hid the scars on her left hand and constantly glanced around, anxious and scared of everything.

When they went out in public, she hid stiffly behind Joseph, clinging to his sleeves. It was intoxicating. Joseph was the only person in the world this miserable girl could depend on. The thought of it filled his chest with pleasure and elation. He would reach back and squeeze her little hand, smiling much more brightly than usual.

But as their relationship continued, he learned something unexpected. She was far more intelligent than the rumors said. She could reel off information from books she’d read and recite poems with ease. She was awful at embroidery and chitchat, but when it came to her studies, she was downright gifted.

When Joseph learned this, he panicked.

He was praised for his kindness because he kept the miserable, useless Brigitte by his side. He didn’t need a fiancée who was more gifted than he was. What purpose would that serve? With their enrollment in Otoleanna Academy of Magic approaching, he had to prevent anyone else from discovering her talents. That was when he hit on an idea.

“My favorite girls are the stupid ones.”

He told her to wear pink dresses, act conceited, and make mistakes on her tests. He demanded many other things, too. Each time, she nodded solemnly and did her best to become the kind of girl he liked. Even in the face of his absurd demands, her attitude toward him did not change. At least, he didn’t think it did. He pretended not to notice that her expression was regressing to the hopelessness of when they met.

After all, she was always gazing up at him and murmuring, “Sir Joseph, you’re so kind.”

Her eyes were so pure and admiring.

When they’d first met, he found it bothersome. But after she said it so many times, he realized that she meant it. She knew nothing of the laughingstock Third Prince. She believed in him completely as the person who had rescued her from seemingly inescapable darkness. Maybe that was why he felt a certain peace when he talked to innocent Brigitte.

Those days ended abruptly, just before they began at Otoleanna Academy.

On that day, Joseph visited the shrine for the first time in a long while. He had been there often, ever since he was a small child. Staying in the palace was torture; it was where he was constantly compared to his brothers. But at the shrine, everyone treated him with the warmest hospitality. He may have been young, but he was still a royal.

On a whim, he asked a priest he was especially close with to let him take a magic crystal home with him. It was a very special object used at contracting ceremonies to see the contracted spirit of the person standing before the crystal. He planned to use it to get a look at the no-name hanging around Brigitte. What a laugh it would be to see a spirit so much more worthless than his own.

But his plan went awry in the worst way.

He snuck into her room while she was sleeping and held the crystal before her—but the spirit he saw in no way resembled a no-name.

Faced with the incredible truth, he bit his lip. An icy, bloodred rage flooded his mind. He had been starting to believe she was the only one for him.

I never imagined you would betray me, too, Brigitte.

Brigitte Meidell was supposed to be the most abject and foolish girl in the world. Now, years after the fact, he was learning that even she had deceived him. He made up his mind on the spot.

I’m done.

He didn’t need her anymore.

I’ll leave her and find another stupid girl.

After they started at the academy, Joseph’s treatment of Brigitte turned icy. Of course, when other people were around, he still played the amiable knight in shining armor, protecting his fiancée. Brigitte seemed confused but never complained. After all, she considered him her savior.

Joseph soon found a girl to take her place. Lisa Selmin, the daughter of a country baron without a soul to support her. She had a reasonably pretty face, but she was uncultured and stupid—just what Joseph wanted. His subjects would adore a prince who kindly doted on a slow-witted girl who was practically a commoner.

“Brigitte Meidell, I am officially breaking off our engagement!”

A year after starting at the academy, when the time was ripe, he left her. It was all he could do to hold in the laughter when he saw the disbelief spread over her face.

Of course she can’t believe it.

She must have been shocked to be accused of harassing a girl she’d never even talked to. It was a lie, of course. Joseph had told Lisa he needed a justification for ending his engagement, and she’d invented the story.

But he’d underestimated Lisa’s foolishness. Even though they weren’t yet engaged, she cooed his name in a sugary voice and tried to hold his arm in public. She seemed uninterested in chastity, and he even heard her boasting loudly about her encounters with him.

He was sick of it. Brigitte had pretended to be conceited on his orders, but he’d never once seen her act so unladylike.

A trained dog would be smarter than this girl.

Brigitte had been called a changeling and exiled from her own home, but she was the daughter of a distinguished family. She had been taught to be polite and graceful. Lisa was nothing compared to her. But Lisa had no self-awareness, and eventually, she took to looking at him with puppy dog eyes and asking when they would be engaged. By that point, of course, his interest in her had evaporated, so he hid his distaste behind a smile.

In the middle of all this nonsense, he’d realized something.

It was really very strange.

Why doesn’t Brigitte seem to care?

Abandoned by her darling Joseph, she should have been living the life of a miserable parasite at school. Yet every time he saw her, her eyes were resolutely optimistic. Her scores on the written tests awed the teachers. Even the students in his class were talking about how she raised her hand in practically every class and gave correct answers.

He knew better than anyone that supposedly stupid Brigitte was actually a brilliant student. That was why he encouraged Lisa to interfere, but Brigitte overcame it all.

When someone stole her pen, she took her test in blood and got every answer right. Before Joseph knew it, his future aide Nival was acting like Brigitte’s personal attendant.

During the magic-stone hunt, Joseph gave Lisa a torch and had her throw it at Brigitte. He knew how much Brigitte feared fire. He couldn’t wait to see her disgrace herself—but then Lisa was the one who was suspended.

Someone else was always by Brigitte’s side now. Yuri Aurealis, whom she’d hardly even known before. Every time Joseph saw him, dark emotions roiled in his chest.

I thought she’d come crawling back in tears.

He could just see her tearstained face, her disheveled red hair. She should have begged him to take pity on her again.

He’d been the only one who stood by her. When the world was tormenting her, he was her only friend, her saint, her protector. But now her green eyes were for someone else. She followed another boy around now.

She looked so happy when she smiled. He’d never seen her so lighthearted.

…I don’t like it.

Did the Red Fairy imagine she was spreading her wings now that she was free of Joseph? Every time he thought about it, his fury swelled. That was why he finally said:

“Let’s get engaged again. Will you make a fresh start with me, Brigitte?”

If he dangled that offer in front of her, she’d snap it up in a heartbeat.

But he was wrong again.

In the end, she turned him down unambiguously, saying she liked someone else. As he watched her walk out of the classroom with Yuri, it was clear enough who she meant.

Anger stained the world red. He shook so hard, his throat seized up, and drops of blood bloomed where his nails dug into his palms.

I thought I beat that rat.

Was he going to give up? Was he going to slink back to the days when people jeered at him and called him a dunce?

No…never!

He concocted a desperate plan.

He saw the column of light that rose from the Meidell residence during the summer, meaning Brigitte’s spirit had finally awoken from its long slumber. He went to the shrine and tried to buy himself some time, but he didn’t have much left. He had to do something before they realized what spirit she was contracted with.

I have to turn her back into a stupid doll.

Lisa had locked herself in her dorm and wouldn’t come out even when he called her. She’d been a worthless pawn, but now that she was gone, Joseph was forced to do his own dirty work.

When he got his hands on a magic breaker with the power to sever the relationship between a person and their spirit, he gloated. He was sure Yuri must have found out about Brigitte’s spirit by now. That was why he’d shown up again so shamelessly in her life. What other reason could he have?

If that was so, then if she lost her spirit, he would lose interest. The same went for everyone else. They were all making a fuss over her now, but he was certain they would drift away once they realized she had nothing to offer.

When that happened, she would be wounded. She would lose hope. And she would finally realize…

When you’re all alone again, your only choice will be to come back to me, the kind prince.

What was his real aim?

What shape had his feelings for Brigitte taken?

Those feelings had been twisted from the start. Even Joseph didn’t understand them anymore.

“Well, Brigitte, what have you decided?”

He smiled faintly, as if to say there was nothing more to explain, and reached out his hand toward her. Not his right hand holding the magic breaker—his empty left hand.

“If you say yes now, I’ll forgive you for resisting. Although you’ll unfortunately have to part with that spirit of yours… In exchange, I will bestow on you the honor of becoming engaged to me again. An excellent offer, wouldn’t you say?”

“…”

Still holding Peep in both hands, Brigitte stared at his outstretched hand.

How long ago that was…

She used to dream of facing Joseph like this, below a sparkling chandelier, amid a crowd of beautifully dressed people. In her dream, the handsome prince with the golden hair took her hand, and they smiled at each other. The crowd applauded warmly.

“…I’ve never danced with you, either, Prince Joseph,” she muttered.

Joseph’s eyebrows rose, and then he smiled. “You’re right. Shall we dance?”

Brigitte took a deep breath. Then she screamed as loud as she could, hoping her voice would thunder through the whole school.

“Neverrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!”

Startled, Joseph reached out a hand to hold her in place. She dodged and screamed again as she backed away.

“I’m not your doll, and neither is Lisa! Please stop speaking as if you’re the only one who matters!”

“…I’m doing you the favor of choosing you, and you treat me like this…!”

“That’s not love!”

“!”

She knew now what real love was. It was when her heart beat in her ears and she couldn’t make it stop. It was when the person she loved spun round and round in her mind until she was dizzy. And still, all she could think of before she fell asleep, and even in her dreams, was that she wanted to see him one more time—and she wanted him to smile at her just one more time. She prayed for it.

It was a warm feeling, a feeling that meant more to her than anything else.

That’s what it is to love someone.

What Joseph had was something else. Obsession. Desire to have her all to himself. Beneath his out-of-control emotions lay something so dark and stagnant she couldn’t even imagine it.

“How dare you judge me! Shut up!” He flew at her with the magic breaker.

“Ow!”

She tried to escape, but the branch tangled in the ends of her long hair. He grinned slyly, pleased to have finally captured his prey. But instantly, she grabbed her hair with one hand and pulled hard. She could hear it snapping behind her head. He winced as she unhesitatingly tore what some would call a woman’s weapon, while she took advantage of the moment to dart farther from him.

Sienna will kill me for this…!

She could imagine the look on her attendant’s face when she saw the state of the hair she cared for so attentively every day. Her eyes tearing for more reasons than one, Brigitte glared at Joseph. He seemed to have lost his drive.

“…I’m sick of this,” he muttered.

She didn’t have time to ask what he was sick of. A ball of fire was already forming on his palm, perhaps one-tenth the size of the fireball Brigitte had manifested. He hurled it at her without a second thought. No—just to the right of her.

The dry wooden shelf burst into flames, and the flames spread in a heartbeat.

Brigitte watched in a daze, while Joseph laughed carelessly.

“Let’s die together in these flames, Brigitte.”

…She was reaching her boiling point. Joseph was acting like a hot-tempered child. The moment life didn’t go his way, he got angry and started throwing things to vent.

“You think I would die with you?!” she shouted, sticking out her tongue.

He shrugged, still smiling. “I’ll blame the fire on Yuri Aurealis. Everyone hates him already. Unlike Lisa, I can find all the witnesses I want.”

It was obvious what he was referring to.

“So you were the one behind what happened at the magic-stone hunt…”

“Why deny it now? Yes, I made Lisa do it.”

Joseph was contracted with two spirits—a wind spirit and a fire spirit. Either he or his spirit had lit the torch that Lisa was carrying at the magic-stone hunt.

He sat down against the wall.

Brigitte looked away from him at the rising inferno. The flames were terrifying, and each breath hurt the back of her throat. She pressed her handkerchief to her mouth, but it didn’t help much.

There was only one small window in the storage room, and it was shut tight. If something didn’t happen soon, she and Joseph would probably be swallowed by the flames and die. She moved as far from the flames as she could and spoke to the little spirit in her hands.

“Peep, please, run away from here.”

But the only answer was its shallow breath, still ragged from Joseph’s blow. Since Peep was a fire spirit, Brigitte suspected it might be able to cope with Joseph’s fire, but she had no way of knowing. It made her anxious.

The chick opened its eyes slightly. Its body was hot. Was the faint heat emanating from it coming from the flames around them?

Brigitte removed both her gloves and wrapped them around the spirit’s small form. They were the special fire-resistant gloves the cottage servants had given her, so she hoped they would protect Peep.

She stroked its round head softly and smiled. She had finally met her dear spirit—the only one who had chosen her.

“Thank you, Peep, for contracting with a person like me.”

“…Peep…”

The chick’s beak moved slightly, as if it was trying to tell her something.

Suddenly, she heard a familiar voice. “Brigitte!”

She jerked her head up.

“Are you in there, Brigitte?!”

“Sir Yuri…?!”

His voice was coming from the other side of the locked door. She ran to it and knocked to let him know she was there.

“Miss Brigitte!”

“Miss Brigitte!”

She heard Kira’s tearful voice and Nival’s high-pitched one. Although she was in a dire situation, relief flooded her. Kira must have come looking for her with Yuri and Nival when she didn’t return.

I’m glad I screamed so loudly!

“Smoke’s coming from the room! Hold on, I’ll break the door down!”

Yuri sounded uncharacteristically panicked. But that was enough to soothe her.

Meanwhile, Joseph laughed from his position against the wall, although it quickly descended into coughing. He must have been having a hard time breathing.

“What perfect hero’s timing. So perfect it makes me sick,” he said.

The green ivy twining over the roof of the gazebo was blooming with white flowers. Beneath it, Yuri and Brigitte sat across from each other at the table, like they always did. Yuri was reading a book, but Brigitte was looking at the garden. Considering everything that had happened recently, there was no way she could concentrate on a book.

Two full days had passed since the incident with Joseph.

Naturally, word about the chain of events that the prince set off spread past the school to the palace. He had been third in line for the throne, after his two older brothers, but his succession rights would likely be stripped. This was partly the consequence of the disturbance he’d caused, and partly because he’d lost his contracted spirits.

Joseph had taken the magic breaker off shrine grounds, and worse, his own spirit had used it to sever his contracts.

The Kingdom of Field has prospered only through the assistance of spirits…

He would not likely be forgiven for denying that fundamental truth. As he was carried away on a stretcher, he had never taken his eyes off Brigitte. Longing, hatred, desperation—

Brigitte could not tear her gaze from the strange glitter in his eyes, but Yuri took her hand and shielded her back protectively so that she did not have to see any more.

Joseph would probably not return to study at the academy.

Investigations of his accomplices, the chief priest and Mr. Inad, were underway. They had already revealed that the chief priest had been currying favor with the prince for several years in exchange for preferential treatment, allowing him to borrow not only the shrine’s magic breaker but the magic crystal as well. As for Mr. Inad, it turned out he had previously failed the palace civil service exam. He was gloomily working as a teacher when Joseph discovered him and sweet-talked him into taking part in his scheme, with promises of a higher government position than his father held, according to Mr. Inad’s confession.

So Joseph discovered Peep when he used the magic crystal…

Peep had been dormant until very recently. Joseph had realized the spirit’s real identity earlier than anyone. That was why he had plotted to sever Brigitte’s contract with it.

“Peep…”

Brigitte heard a soft chirp coming from the top of the table. Peep was curled up, sleeping. It must have been dreaming because it was moving its beak in an extremely cute way.

“Looks like Peep’s back to normal.”

“…Yes.”

Brigitte smiled wryly. She hadn’t realized Yuri was looking at her. Peep had temporarily transformed into a beautiful phoenix, but now the spirit was a little chick again. The cause had been a cheerful comment by Kira after Joseph was carried away.

“Lucky us, Miss Brigitte! Now there will be so much more delicious meat!”

She had probably only meant to lighten the mood… Probably. But the phoenix had begun shaking and hid itself with its outstretched wings. The next instant, it had shrunk to a feebly shivering little chick. Kira had been disappointed, but Brigitte had felt a little happy. The chick version of Peep didn’t look very powerful, but Brigitte was enchanted.

“Peep, peep…”

Brigitte giggled and pet Peep’s head. Her hand was no longer encased in a glove. The scars that had tormented her for so long had been healed by Peep. Sienna had cried with joy when Brigitte told her, and the other servants teared up, too. Brigitte still treasured the gloves they had given her, and she displayed them on a shelf in her room. She planned to keep them for the rest of her life.

And then there’s Lisa…

Surprisingly, she had come with Kira to apologize to Brigitte. Kira had admitted before that she was the one who stole Brigitte’s pen during the written exams, but Lisa had told her to do it. Although Lisa had disliked Brigitte to start with, Brigitte had no doubt Joseph was the one who nurtured that dislike into loathing.

As Lisa had stood before her, frowning but with head bowed, Brigitte had felt like she was looking at the girl she had once been when she had miserably obeyed Joseph’s bidding. That was why she couldn’t bear to be overly harsh toward Lisa. Slowly, Lisa was starting to leave the dorm with Kira. Many things were still happening, but Brigitte felt that in general, life had settled down.

“…Anyway, about the competition,” Yuri said, shutting his book noisily.

Brigitte stiffened. This was her third competition with Yuri. The challenge was simple: Whoever was invited to the shrine banquet following the school inspection was the winner.

“It’s a tie, I guess,” he said.

“…Yes…”

She nodded, dejected. The official notice had arrived that day at the end of classes. Both Brigitte and Yuri were invited to the shrine.

I can’t believe we tied again!

She bit her lip.

I still haven’t managed to beat him!

Their first competition ended in a draw, and Yuri won their second. In their third they had tied yet again—although this time it wasn’t really about their respective skills. Brigitte hadn’t even been interviewed. Considering she was at the center of the current uproar, however, the priests probably believed they had to invite her.

Is that a little unfair…?

Yuri couldn’t possibly have read her mind, but he rested his chin in his hand and said, “Ultimately, it’s up to the priests. They chose me two years in a row because I’m the Duke of Aurealis’s son, and I’m contracted with two first-class spirits.”

“But…”

“Your younger brother was chosen this year, too, right? He’s an earl’s son contracted with an ifrit.”

His view of the situation left no room for dreams or hopes. Still, Brigitte had to admit he had a point. Brigitte hardly even knew what her adopted brother looked like, but he was contracted with a first-class spirit. The other first-year representative was from an unremarkable family and was contracted with a second-class spirit. It was unusual for there to be even one student in each year contracted with a first-class spirit.

I wonder if Peep is a first-class spirit…

The phoenix was a fire and light spirit. Many students had seen the column of light it manifested. But thanks to Ms. Naha and other teachers who warned them not to make too much of a fuss over it, Brigitte got some looks but no cross-examination. According to Ms. Naha, the fact that the spiritologist and archbishop put in a good word for her was key. Brigitte hadn’t seen either of them since the day of the incident, but of course she would meet them again at the shrine.

Also…

Something else was bothering her.

Whenever she remembered Joseph’s cruel words and brutality that day, the terror came surging back.

…But her mind was focused on something else.

“Sir Yuri?”

“Yeah?”

“Did you…hear what I said through the wall that day?”

He was silent for a few seconds. She couldn’t bring herself to look at him.

“No.”

There was no agitation in his voice. At least, none that she could hear.

Good.

She let out a heavy breath.

When she thought she might be about to die, she had said she loved him. Joseph, crouching nearby, probably heard her, but Yuri, on the other side of the wall, had not.

She was relieved.

But why was her heart throbbing so painfully? She felt like she might start crying.

Why am I disappointed…?

Deep in her heart, had she wanted him to hear?

She didn’t know the answer, and she had no idea what expression to put on her face.

“I was a little scared,” Yuri said.

Brigitte blinked. At first, she thought she had misheard him. He had never spoken of fear before. She raised her head. He was looking down, like she had been a few seconds earlier. His bangs hid his face, so she couldn’t guess what he might be thinking.

“…Of what?” she asked anxiously.

“When you went off with Mr. Inad and didn’t come back.”

Her breath caught in her throat. She had heard the essence of what had happened from Kira. Yuri and the others had worked with the spiritologist to find her. Kira had said Yuri’s levelheadedness had saved them.

But still…

Yuri was more shaken than she had ever seen him, as far as she could tell. She stood and walked around the table to his side.

“Sir Yuri, it’s all right. I’m— Huh?!”

She had been about to say I’m here, but before she could, Yuri grabbed her arm so hard her uniform wrinkled. When he finally looked up, his eyes were shining with earnestness.

“I’ll keep you safe from now on.”

His words were like a vow, but his whole body was sweaty, and his face was contorted.

“I won’t take my eyes off you. So…please don’t go off like that again.”

She didn’t know why, but he reminded her of a little child.

Aaah…

She remembered the person who held her hand while she screamed and cried as her father burned her. In her hazy memory, that little hand, the same size as hers, had been trembling. Still, it had saved her.

“…I’m not strong, far from it.”

Yuri’s words came back to her. He had been unable to save the little girl from her torment.

Without thinking, she wrapped her arms around him. His cold body was trembling. She stroked his broad back, wanting to reassure him, until his shaking subsided.

“You protected me this time, didn’t you?” she asked.

“…”

“Anyway, I’m not going to disappear.”

“…”

“After all, you could see my red hair from miles away.”

“…True.”

He nodded slightly at her joke. She was relieved, but for some reason, he brought his handsome face close to hers. For a second, she panicked.

What? Whaaat??

But his lips slipped past without touching hers, and instead he reached out, taking her long hair in his hand and bringing it to his face. Like he was taking in the smell, like he wanted his fingers to remember how it felt. He stroked it again and again. His soft breath grazed her cheek.

“Um, Sir Yuri…?”

She squirmed in embarrassment. He softly took a lock of her hair in his hand—and kissed it.

“…!”

Instantly blushing, she stared at him. His citrine eyes were searching her face.

“I—”

…What?

She saw him swallow. His eyes were open wide in astonishment.

“…I’m sorry,” he said quietly, as if returning to his senses.

He dropped her hand, turned on his heels, and started to walk away. After a pause of a few seconds, she ran after him. Something told her she didn’t want to part like this.

“Sir Yuri! Please—”

But the distance between them only widened as he strode on, ignoring her calls. She ran after him, desperate to stop him. “But you—you said you wouldn’t take your eyes off me!”

Her voice turned accusatory.

“You just said that a minute ago!”

The effect was immediate. He took another step or two, then stopped. “I know.”

It was so like him to announce that with a straight face.

“Exactly!” she snapped, standing next to him. She’d forgotten that he was much better at rude comebacks than she was.

“And you said you wanted me to hold your hand forever,” he said.

“Oh…”

So he remembered that. Before the surprise could register, he took her left hand in his. She jumped and made a noise, and he smiled with amusement.

“That was just… I was frantic…”

“Weren’t there other things you could have said?”

“That was all I could th-th-think of!”

He seemed to be enjoying her flustered reaction. “Shall we?”

“…You mean…hold hands?”

His lack of an answer apparently meant yes. Brigitte knew he was teasing her, but his mood had improved, so she decided not to pull her hand away.

As they chatted aimlessly on their way to the carriage stop, she thought back to their conversation at the gazebo. He had started to say something and stopped, but his lips had kept moving. The movement was simple, and she had been watching, so she knew what he was mouthing.

But no, it couldn’t be.

No way.

“I love you.” …Really?!

There was no way he would say that. She shook her head to chase away her fantasies and asked him about something else.

“Sir Yuri, did you understand what Joseph was saying to you that day?”

“Your Highness, are you fully aware of what you did to her?”

“I could say the same to you, Yuri Aurealis.”

Brigitte simply could not make sense of Joseph’s words. After all, Yuri had always protected her.

Even eleven years ago, when my father burned my hand!

She was sure Yuri was the one who held her right hand that day. Which made Joseph’s words especially strange. She could think of no legitimate reason anyone could criticize him. But his face clouded over.

“I understood perfectly,” he said.

“Sir Yuri?”

She heard him mumble above her head.

“…I always knew I didn’t have the right…”

The right…?

He was practically talking to himself, so she couldn’t very well voice her question. His hand in hers was so cold. She didn’t know if the chill was coming from him or her.

When she got back to the cottage, everyone was acting strange. Before the carriage even stopped, she could see people gathered in front of the entryway. Normally, Sienna always greeted Brigitte with a half smile, but today she came running up the second Brigitte stepped down from the carriage. The other servants followed. Brigitte saw confusion, panic—and something verging on terror on their faces.

“Miss…Miss Brigitte,” Sienna said, gazing at her anxiously, her face pale.

“…What’s the matter, Sienna?”

Something must have happened while Brigitte was away.

Just then, the front door swung slowly open.

“Brigitte.”

She froze.

That voice…

For an instant, all the sounds around her faded away, as if she had been dropped into ice.

She hadn’t heard that voice in eleven years. But in her nightmares, she heard it constantly, and it always brought terror with it. Only her own sheer stubbornness kept her from running away. She stood completely still, desperately driving her heels into the ground.

Holding in her ragged breath, she looked up.

Brigitte’s father, Earl Deag Meidell, was standing before her.

He looked down at his daughter with a dull expression.

He spoke with such authority it almost sounded cruel.

“You are forgiven. Return to the main house, Brigitte.”

“Peep!”

Peep opened its eyes and wriggled its body. It must have been sleeping in an odd position because its tail feathers were where its head should have been, and it wasn’t easy to get out.

“Pegya.”

“Peep, are you awake?”

“Peep, peep, peeeeep…”

Brigitte must have sensed something was wrong because she whispered to Peep from above. When it chirped for help, her long, slender fingers reached up and pushed its back end. Now Peep was facing the right way inside her hair, and it poked its head out.

She seemed to be in the middle of a class. Peep could hear what sounded like the teacher’s voice giving a lesson. During the afternoon lectures, when its belly was full, it usually dozed in Brigitte’s hair.

Peep hopped lightly down onto her desk. Since it was awake, it figured it might as well take a walk. “Peep!”

“Going for a walk?”

Peep nodded, then flapped down to the floor below her desk.

“Don’t go anywhere dangerous!”

“Peep!”

“…Well, Miss Chatty, do you know the answer to this problem?” the teacher asked her.

Uh-oh! But Brigitte stood calmly and recited the answer without pause.

“Yes, Ms. Naha. It’s the fairy Puck in a different form. Puck is quite mischievous and often changes into a child or horse to trick people. It isn’t specified in the text, but I believe it’s Puck in the form of a kelpie from the Unseelie Court who saves the main character at the end of chapter six.”

Several students gasped, and everyone applauded.

Brigitte was the top female student in her class. As her contracted spirit, Peep puffed out its chest feathers proudly.

“Excellent. You may sit down. But please do not chitchat in class.”

Blushing as Ms. Naha winked at her, Brigitte sat down.

Meanwhile, Peep started walking. As the long bell rang, signaling the end of classes, Peep wondered where to explore.

Where did I come from? What am I?

Peep did not know the answers to such questions. Spirits didn’t have families. Some spirits apparently created pseudo-familial relationships, but as far as Peep knew, no one had ever been by its side.

It was always flying somewhere high, all alone. It remembered cawing often in its isolation—that feeling was all that remained in its heart.

When Peep was with Brigitte and her friends, it tended to forget all that, but when it was walking alone, the past came rushing back.

Suddenly, after some time lost in thought, it realized it had wandered quite far from the classroom.

“Peep? Peep, peep?”

It tried asking where it was, but no one answered, so it drifted forward with a group of little fairies flying in front of it. Dodging student feet, it skittered over the marble floor.

“Oh, hello, Peep!”

At the sound of that voice, Peep’s downy feathers stood on end.

“Peep!”

Nervously, it glanced over its shoulder and began to shake. It had guessed right.

“What are you doing here?”

It was Kira Anik—a friend of Brigitte’s but a mortal enemy of Peep’s. She was a terrifying girl who was always scheming ways to cook and eat Peep whenever they met. Peep had warned Brigitte over and over how dangerous she was, pleading with her to roast Kira before Kira could roast Peep, but she just wouldn’t listen.

Kira squatted down in the hallway and slowly grinned.

“Listen to this, Peep! There’s a project going on at the dorm right now to put in some new facilities.”

“Peep?”

“I hear my proposal for a big wood oven in the garden will be approved…heh-heh. If it is, we can bake pizza and have barbecues every weekend!”

The conversation was moving in a suspicious direction.

“Which do you prefer, wings or drumsticks?”

“Peeeeep!!”

Peep was trembling like a leaf. Kira’s gaze fell on its wings. Was this the end?

“Hey, Kira, leave Sir Peep alone.”

Thankfully, Nival happened to be passing by. He was one of Brigitte’s followers. He wasn’t particularly useful, but he was a fairly effective counterbalance to Kira.

Peep ducked behind Nival’s leg. He smiled triumphantly.

“Where did you come from? Peep and I were just having a friendly conversation,” Kira said.

“A friendly conversation? You’ve cornered a spirit in the hallway to bully it. What if Sir Peep pees all over its pants? Then what would you do?”

“Peep!”

Peep was indignant. It didn’t even have pants to pee in!

“See?! Sir Peep just said it peed its pants!”

“I think it’s furious with your lack of discretion.”

“How ridiculous.”

As Nival pressed his legs and twisted around, Peep made a run for it. It burst outside into the weak sunlight. Evening was approaching, and Peep hoped to meet up with Brigitte soon. But because Peep always relied on her to carry it around, it didn’t know how to get anywhere.

As it walked timidly forward, the library eventually came into view, so it decided to go to the gazebo. Brigitte often talked or read there with her friend Yuri. Peep hoped that perhaps she had headed there after class, but the gazebo was empty. Peep did hear a voice, however, and hopped down the stairs to find Yuri and his undine near the stream.

When Yuri noticed Peep, he gave the chick a puzzled look and started turning his head this way and that. Yuri was the one who had given Peep its name. He must have been searching for Brigitte.

“Peep, peep, peep?” Where’s Brigitte?

Yuri turned silently to his undine.

“What did Peep just say?”

“How would I know?” The undine tilted her head.

Yuri frowned. “You’re both spirits, aren’t you? I thought you’d understand each other.”

“We may both be spirits, but we’re entirely different species.” The undine stuck out her tongue. The gesture was girlish, but there was still something a bit sexy about it. To humans, at least—the charms of the spirit were lost on Peep.

“Peep, peep?” it asked Yuri again.

“…?”

Yuri sank into thought, creasing his brow. The undine was splashing playfully in the creek. Little fish jumped into the air, confused by the sudden change of direction in the water’s flow. Yuri walked over to Peep and crouched down. “I’m sorry, Peep,” he said sincerely. “I don’t understand your language.”

“Peep…”

“But if you’re looking for Brigitte, she hasn’t been here today. I think yesterday she said she would have class duty. She might still be in her classroom.”

“Peep!”

Aha! He’d understood well enough after all. No wonder—he had named Peep, after all. Peep blushed, its heart pounding.

Yuri looked mystified, but Peep hopped back up the stairs with relief. Halfway up, remembering something important, it turned back and said, “Peep. Peepeepeep.”

If you love Brigitte, keep trying.

Having said what it wanted, Peep fluttered off cheerfully. From behind, it heard the undine’s amused voice say, “I think I caught the gist of that myself!”

When Peep finally made it back to the classroom, Brigitte was filling in the daily record. No one else was in the room. Brigitte, ever the serious student, was writing down the day’s activities in detail, even though other students usually just jotted down a few words.

“…Oh, Peep, you’re back!”

“Peep.”

In response to the brief greeting, Brigitte kneeled on the floor. Peep jumped into her skirt. Placing its feet on her outstretched arms, it peered into her beautiful emerald eyes.

She giggled. “You’ve got dirt on your feathers! Where did you go on your walk?”

“Peep. Peep, pepeep.”

Peep enthusiastically explained the day’s adventure. I walked all over the school today! Kira almost ate me, but Nival saved me, although he’s so rude. And I had a word with Yuri about you…

Brigitte probably didn’t understand a word of it. Still, she nodded with great interest.

“Sounds like you had quite an adventure!”

“Peep!”

I did!

Peep had known those sparkling eyes for a long time. It had glimpsed them in the crystals that lay all around the spirit world. They shone like new jewels glowing with hope. The moment Peep saw them, it was enchanted. Peep had longed to be close to that powerful light…and had always wanted to meet the girl they belonged to. It wanted to meet her and tell her that everything would be all right. It wasn’t a frightening spirit, so she didn’t need to be afraid.

Brigitte blinked curiously. She cocked her head, as if she was hearing things. Finally, though, she smiled.

“I wanted to meet you, too, Peep!”

As she stroked Peep’s cheek softly, it closed its eyes.

Her warm fingers were more soothing than the touch of any other hand in the world.

Hello! I’m Harunadon. Thank you so much for picking up Volume 2 of If the Villainess and Villain Met and Fell in Love.

In this volume, Brigitte’s contracted spirit, Peep, finally takes the stage. I spent a long time deciding what Brigitte’s contracted spirit should be like. Now I can’t imagine it being anyone other than Peep.

As for the exclusive short story, I told my editor in advance that I planned to write the story from Peep’s perspective, but after reading it, my editor noted that “It’s even more Peep than I expected.” This story is the only chance you’ll have to experience 100 percent pure Peep. Adorable, isn’t it?

I feel like little by little, Brigitte and Yuri are growing closer. Considering how stubborn and contrary they both are, don’t you agree that they’ve really made impressive progress?

But Brigitte is always so nervous, I sometimes worry whether her heart can take all those palpitations, ha-ha.

When Volume 1 was published, a reader-comment tweet campaign was held, and I had the pleasure of reading wonderful comments from many of you. Every time I saw a tweet saying “Great illustrations!” I nodded enthusiastically at my screen.

If you liked Volume 2, your author would be very happy if you would post your comments on social media. Fan letters are also most welcome. Your author would be very happy to receive some!

Finally, my acknowledgments.

To F-sama, my editor, I am full of gratitude that you constantly give my books your all. I look forward to working with you again next time.

To Yomi Sarachi-sensei, my illustrator, I am so excited to see how you illustrate various scenes in this volume.

To everyone who buys this book, please accept my heartfelt thanks.

I hope to see you again in the next volume!